One too Many Faces
by ValyrianGirl
Summary: Future Fic (mostly off of the books): 5 years after departing Westeros and landing in Braavos, Arya starts getting reminders of home, reminders that she still needs to get her vengeance. Arya sets sail to avenge her family and runs into old friends along the way...one blacksmith in particular.
1. Chapter 1: No One

_Nymeria was stalking through the wood, sniffing out her next victim. With her pack behind her, anxious and hungry, she padded toward the hint of smoke from a building nearby. As she got closer, she could catch the scent of food ripping through her senses. Once close enough to the buildings, Nymeria twisted her head and barked orders to her pack. They howled together and parted to surround their prey. Nymeria shifted her interest to the familiar scent inside the smoky building. Looking from the outside, she saw the human, like her master, but much larger, and with coal black hair and sad blue eyes. He was coming her way, probably to determine the source of the howling, when he caught a glimpse of her. Nymeria just stood there as he came to halt with wide blue eyes peering into her yellow. He carried no weapons, which would make this an easy kill, but she had no interest in killing this particular human. Instead they just stared at each other, both feeling some sort of presence between them. Why were these blue eyes so familiar? They quickly broke their gaze as a terrifying scream came from the other building…._

She woke with beads of sweat trailing down her forehead, trying to push away whatever dream she was having. No One should not have dreams, especially not through the eyes of a wolf. Wolves meant nothing to No One. No One quickly rose from her cot, and changed into her small gown. She once knew someone who hated gowns, but No One knew that uncomfortable as they were, dresses help reel in the men whose lives were owed to the Many-Faced God.

Gathering her weapons and hiding them in her clothes, No One headed out of her room to meet the Kindly Man and receive her next assignment. She had played over 20 roles in her lifetime, borrowing several faces since her arrival in Braavos five years ago, and it was time she received her next one.

The Kindly Man and the waif were waiting for her in the room of many faces, presumably picking the next person that No One would portray. "A girl arrives eager to begin her next assignment" he says without looking up from the face he is currently holding.

" _Valar morghulis._ "

The lips of the Kindly Man slightly twitch at the words as he replies " _Valar dohaeris_ ". He pauses before questioning "Who are you?"

She looks him straight in the eye, no emotion in her mind or showing on her face, "No one."

The Kindly Man puts the face down to glance over her, questioning the sincerity of her answer. Before he can respond, she asks, "What deed does the Many-Faced God demand be done?"

"He requires the life of a Westerosi man visiting and causing trouble across the canals of Braavos." The Kindly Man pauses, looking to the waif to bring her the new face she must take.

The waif looks at her and almost has a smile on her face, "While this face is not as pretty as yours, it will do for this task." The face was very soft in features, completely opposite from No One's own face, which perhaps is the reason it was chosen.

They were both working on putting on her new identity when the Kindly Man continued explaining the task. "You will take the identity of the small, orphan Cressida, a lowly serving girl in the brothel across from the Eastern canals. It is a place this man visits frequently so you should have no trouble."

No one nodded knowingly, "I have played the role of a serving wench before, I should have the deed done quickly."

"As you will Cressida." He turns to go but then pauses adding, " _Valar morghulis._ "

" _Valar dohaeris_ "


	2. Chapter 2: Gendry

_Chaos never came in short supply at the Crossroads Inn_ , Gendry thought to himself as he was repairing the exterior of the Inn after the most recent wolf attack. The attacks did not occur too often, but often enough that Gendry and some of the Brother's had to make a small underground shelter for the children to stay in when the wolves got too close.

Gendry usually always heard the howling in time to round up the children, or Willow would come and grab him. But last night, Gendry had been so wrapped up in his work in the forge that no sound touched him. He had only realized the wolves were close when they had already reached the small Inn, and he saw several of them outside. He wasn't sure what to do and could only hope everyone was in the shelter. Gendry had been contemplating what to do, when his gaze was met by the fiercest yellow eyes he had ever seen. The wolf had just been sitting and stared at him. She didn't seem like she was going to kill him, so Gendry just held her gaze, letting his mind wonder to a girl he had known who often spoke of a wolf with yellow eyes. As he let his thoughts turn to her, the girl he tried not to let himself think of, he had heard the scream. He broke the wolf's gaze and turned toward the scream. When he looked back, the wolf was gone.

Luckily the scream hadn't been from anything extreme, just the wolves scaring the children as they had tried to enter the shelter containing Jeyne, Willow and all of the orphans. And here he was now, fixing the doors of the shelter, making them sturdier for their next wolf encounter.

When he finished, he returned his tools to the forge and then headed to the Inn for some food where Willow was there waiting for him. "Took you long enough to fix that Gendry", she said smiling.

"I didn't realize I was being timed," he replied, offering a small smile. "What's for dinner?"

"Who knows? Our stores are running really short after the wolves last night, so we are just mixing all the food together to make some sort of meal."

Gendry sighed at that, hoping that the Brotherhood would be returning soon with more food. "Well we will just have to make do." Gendry let Willow return to her duties and went into the main part of the Inn and sat down at an empty table waiting for dinner to be served.

Moments later, Jeyne and Willow came out of the kitchen with trays of food for all the orphans. All the children quickly sat down to receive their food, which Willow began handing out, while Jeyne headed towards him and set his dinner on the table, "Here ya go Gendry, wish I could give you more, but we don't have much left."

"It's fine, Jeyne, really. I just hope the Brotherhood comes soon."

"Me too. Those wolves got way too close last night. We were lucky to all get to the shelter in time. But we were all so worried about you" Jeyne expressed longingly.

Shaking his head, Gendry replied "I'm fine. Luckily the wolves only seemed interested in the Inn, not the forge." _Well except one wolf_ he added to himself, not being able to get that wolf out of his mind.

Jeyne gently placed her hand on his arm, "Well I don't know what we would do without you."

Feeling uncomfortable, Gendry just turned his gaze to his food, "The Brotherhood would just send someone else to watch over the young ones. Nothing to worry about."

"Well even so, we would all miss you." He refused to meet her gaze, knowing the longing that would show in her eyes. Everyone, including himself, knew that Jeyne had feelings for him. Jeyne was a very generous person, a bit plain, but with a kind heart. However, he could never return any sort of affection that she had for him. _I'm far too broken for that_ , he thought.

Getting lost in his thoughts, he hadn't realized that Jeyne was still speaking "…for a few nights."

"Sorry, what did you say?"

Jeyne sighed, shaking her head and repeated herself "I said that you should stay in the Inn for a few nights to help care for the little ones. They are just so scared from the wolves. And who knows if they will come again?"

Jeyne often tried to request that Gendry stayed in the Inn, however he never did because he didn't want to give Jeyne the wrong impression. And really, he was just in the forge, which was close enough for him to get to the Inn within seconds if anything were to happen.

When he looked up to meet Jeyne's gaze again, her cheeks were flushed and she quickly looked to her feet. "The wolves had their fill so they shouldn't be back for a while. And you know I'm not one for soothing children."

"They like your strong presence."

"Well thanks for the offer, but I will stay in the forge. If anything were to come, the forge has all the weapons, so that's where I should be."

"Okay. Just let me know if you change your mind." Jeyne drew back reluctantly and went to join Willow and the other children as they ate together. While Gendry did enjoy Willow and Jeyne's company, the children needed them more, and he had always been fine on his own.

While eating, Gendry's thoughts turned back to the wolf, wondering why she didn't attack him. He had been so caught up in the moment, he hadn't even had his hammer in his hand, he would have been easy kill. But instead she had just left. Gendry couldn't help thinking of a certain wolf girl who had left him. It had been over five years since he'd last seen her, everyone thought her long dead. He never wanted to believe them though. She was the strongest person he had ever met, she could survive anything. Gendry only wished that he could be there with her, wherever she was.


	3. Chapter 3: Cressida

Cressida woke early that morning, eager to start observing the man whose life was owed to the Many-Faced God. She rose from the bed she was given by the manager of the brothel, Lana, and dressed in her serving clothes quietly as to not disturb the other serving girls she shared a room with. Since they were only serving girls, not women there for men's pleasure, they were given a large space at the very top of the crooked building. The rooms below, were the ones used to give men their pleasure, and then below that was the main level of the house containing the main tavern where Cressida served.

It didn't seem like such a bad place, Lana and the other girls had been very kind to her so far, and she was trying her best to act kind toward them. Cressida was a small girl, not looking her true age of 17, however she did have nice features and beautiful blonde hair. She had been trying to blend in, which was proving somewhat difficult, as the Kindly Man should have given her an ugly face instead.

Since she wasn't awful to look at, Lana had offered her gold if she were willing to please a few men that had been asking, but she politely refused. Cressida was here for one reason only, and she had no interest in making a whore of herself.

Once Cressida had combed her hair and dressed thoroughly, she went down the stairs to the main part of the tavern and noticed that some men were already there. She made her way to the kitchen and began helping the cook prepare the meals. She didn't have much experience, although she could remember a boy who loved to bake pies and would talk about cooking and baking all day. But no, that wasn't Cressida's memory, it was someone else's.

The hours of the day passed quickly with many incoming customers. Since they were located near the canals, men who docked their ships for a few nights often came to the brothel, so there was no shortage of work.

The evening turned out to be a busy one, and using her small figure to her advantage, Cressida moved easily through the crowd, dropping ale and wine off at the tables she passed. She made a note of the people she saw, still looking for the man whose life she would soon be taking. She did not know much of the man, only a few details that the Kindly man had told her; _He goes by 'Rhasher', brown of hair with a large scar along his neck._ Other than those minor details, she knew that he kept the company of another unpleasant man also from Westeros. The other girls had said that they had been coming to the brothel, stirring up trouble every night for the past fortnight. Cressida hoped that tonight was no exception.

Cressida had just entered the dining area from the kitchen, for her tenth ale run when she saw two men enter through the blue wooden doors. The tavern went somewhat silent at their entrance, however Cressida wasn't looking at everyone else, she only had eyes for the men that had entered. The one on the left, a tall man matching the description of Rhasher had a sour look on his face and stepped forward to steal some ale off of one of the tables. He stumbled toward the table before collapsing onto a stool. _Good,_ she thought, _he's already drunk – much easier to kill_.

The other man with Rhasher also seemed slightly intoxicated, however he had much more control over his movements. The man walked slowly through the tavern with his head held high, glaring at anyone who dare questioned him. Cressida could do nothing but watch this man. There was something about his face and arrogant demeanor that felt familiar. Just as Cressida was mulling over the familiarity in her mind, the man lifted the hand that was behind his back, and put the helmet he was holding on the table.

The sight of the helmet crafted like a bull's, was all Cressida needed to confirm the identity of the man before her: _Dunsen_. While she knew that another man had taken the helm from him years ago, he somehow got it back. This new scenario would work perfectly for Cressida; not only would she give these men's lives to the Many-Faced God, she would also cross another name off the list made by a poor, vengeful girl many years ago.

"Oi, wench!" Dunsen snarled at her, "Bring the great Dunsen some wine would ya?"

Not giving anything away, Cressida smiled sweetly at the man, "Right away Ser."

He narrowed his gaze at that statement before slowly moving toward her, "Ser? You fancy me for a knight?" he smiled.

"I only assumed" she replied, moving toward him as to not show any intimidation, "Seeing as you carry such a fancy helm with you, and a large sword." Cressida batted her eyelashes up at the man and she continued smiling sweetly as he hooked an arm around her waist.

"Aye. Tis a fancy helm. Unworthy of its first owner, so I took it from the ungrateful bastard." Cressida focused on her facial expressions as to not give anything away, but all she could think of was blue eyes. "Then someone had the nerve to steal it from me, so do you know what I did?"

She giggled and looked to his sword, "What?"

"Hunted the bastard down and stabbed him straight through the head" he finished, grinning and tugging her closer to him.

Cressida knew this was a lie, but either way, he had the helm and she was set on making him pay for his arrogance and stupidity. For now she just giggled at him, while he attempted to lower his hand, "Not so fast Ser, I shall get you some ale."

He gave her bum an unpleasant squeeze before responding, "Be quick about it wench."

She quickly jumped from his grasp, just now noticing that all the other ladies in the room were watching her. Once Cressida entered the kitchen, Lana followed close behind her, "What are you doing?" she said raising her eyebrows, "I thought you said you weren't interested in this part of the business."

"Well maybe I changed my mind" she replied never meeting Lana's gaze.

Lana grabbed her shoulder to face her "Well you should change it back sweetheart. These men are awful. They have been stealing from the tavern and have gravely injured some of my girls. The only reason they haven't killed us all is because I let them have their way."

Cressida looked into Lana's eyes before responding, "Trust me, these men don't scare me. I can handle them."

"A little thing like you?" she laughed.

If it was one thing Cressida knew, it was to never judge someone based on their size. While she was small, she could easily kill everyone in this tavern if she felt like it. She returned Lana's laugh with a glare of her own, "I will take them as my customers. How much gold will you give me?"

Lana's laughter quickly died as she took in what Cressida had said, "The usual amount I give my girls I suppose."

"I expect a little extra since I will be taking them off of your hands."

"Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."

"I won't". And at that Lana left the tavern to go talk with her girls. Cressida grabbed a few jugs of ale and walked through to the tavern to go share some ale with them men she would soon be killing.


	4. Chapter 4: Gendry

It had been a few days since they had heard the wolf howls in the night, but Gendry was still unable to get that wolf out of his head. Something about the wolf had seemed so familiar to him, _although I don't know how a very large direwolf could ever feel familiar,_ Gendry thought, shaking his head in disbelief.

The Crossroads Inn went about its daily routine, however struggling since they were lacking in food supplies. Luckily, Jeyne had received a raven from the Brotherhood yesterday saying to expect them today, hopefully bringing lots of food with them. Until they arrived, Gendry decided to just work in the forge, pounding away at the metal breastplates he was making for members of the Brotherhood without Banners. With every lift of his hammer, he was able to push out the thoughts of his empty stomach. Gendry welcomed the heat from the forge fire as beads of sweat trickled down his forehead while he worked away on the breastplate.

The hours passed quickly when Gendry worked in the forge. He would have worked well into the night if it hadn't been for Willow barging in, "Gendry!" she yelled as the door of the forge crashed open and slammed into the wall. Gendry turned to look at her only to find her with a huge smile on her face and gasping for breath. "The Brotherhood is here and they brought food with them!"

Willow starts hopping at her mention of food, and Gendry can't help but smile at her. "If they have food, what are we doing standing around here for?" He put down his hammer and walked towards her motioning to the door.

"You're right!" she quickly grabbed his hand and took off, "Let's go!"

The dining hall was in full swing as Gendry entered with Willow. She dropped his hand and motioned for him to sit down beside Lem before she disappeared to help in the kitchen. When Lem realized it was Gendry, he quickly stood up and gave him a smack on the back, "How's it going lad?"

They both sit down before Gendry responds, "Alright considering we are so low on food."

"Aye. Sorry about that lad, we would've been here sooner if not for our duty to serve the realm."

Gendry rolled his eyes at the man, "Serve the realm? You mean serve that corpse you take orders from."

"Watch what you're saying lad." Lem warned him. Just then, Willow and Anguy were standing in front of the table to join them. Gendry scooted over so Willow could sit as she placed some food on the table.

As they all started to stuff their faces, Willow turned to Gendry, "So Anguy says he's gonna teach me to shoot an arrow" she smiled, "And maybe after I get good at that, then I can convince someone to teach me how to fight with a sword!"

Lem shook his head as he stared at her, "What do you need that for?"

Willow narrowed her gaze before responding, "To protect myself of course. And the other children." Lem just smirks at her before returning his attention to his plate.

As Willow and Anguy start an in depth conversation about the ways of the bow, Gendry turns his thoughts to another fierce girl he knows who was even more unladylike than Willow, _Arya_. He hadn't spoken her name in years, barely let himself think it either, but ever since he saw that wolf, she was all he could think about. And the fact that Willow reminds him so much of her doesn't help either. He lets out a deep sigh as he goes over everything he did wrong, how he never should have let her go. The anguish he felt the night she left, as he called her name through the heavy rainfall, remained with him still, even after all this time.

Lem caught Gendry in his thoughts with a flicker of his brow and a pitiful smile. Gendry met his gaze before pushing his plate away from him and standing to leave. The only thing that can get these thoughts from his head is to pound away his frustration in the forge. Just as he turned to close the door behind him, he could hear Tom's 'No Featherbed for Me' ringing softly throughout the Inn.


	5. Chapter 5: Cressida

Cressida had spent the last hour listening to Dunsen and Rhasher tell stories of their great achievements and how they became in the service of the Dragon Queen who now sits the Iron Throne. Dunsen made it sound like they were the Queen's closest confidents, _very unlikely_ , Cressida thought. As they told their stories, she kept offering them more ale to hopefully get them quite intoxicated. She continued to smile at the men and allow them to touch her, all the while imagining how they would soon be dead. That thought brought a true smile to her face.

"….as one of her most trusted Queensguard, I was of course offered the chance to ride her dragon. What a fierce thing it was. No fiercer than me though, especially with my helm" Dunsen grinned smugly while Rhasher seemed almost unconscious.

"You mean she let you ride her dragon? That's incredible." Cressida replied, not believing a word of it. From all the talk of Westeros, it seemed that only the Queen's family and known dragon trainers could even go near the dragons without getting scorched alive. It was no wonder the Dragon Queen so easily took the Iron Throne from the boy king, alongside her nephew Aegon.

"Of course she did wench!" his eyes darkened then as he looked at her. "Oi wench, how about I show you just how to ride a dragon?" he said with his face inches from her and a firm hand on her waist.

Cressida darkened her gaze as well, hoping that it came off as lustful instead of the true vengeance behind it. "I'd like that." She quickly hopped out of his lap to stand, and grabbed his hand. The tavern was still quite busy with many pirates and foreigners gathered around pitchers of ale with ladies in their laps. Cressida, still gripping Dunsen's hand who was grinning behind her, pushed her way through the crowd and up the stairs to an empty room. Once there, Cressida gently pushed Dunsen on the bed and turned to lock the door. As she turned back to him, he stared at with a gaze full of lust as he licked his lips.

After a moment Dunsen had clearly grown impatient, "Well wench, let's see if you have what it takes to tame this dragon." He made quick work of his clothes and then grabbed her by the arms and threw her on the bed. Cressida let him kiss her, disgusting and wet as it was, as she was working her skirt to try and reach her blade. He pushed himself up on his elbows as he began to move down her and grope her breasts. Unpleasant as it felt, Cressida could now feel the handle of her small blade. With her other hand, she reached to her left to collect another small blade that Dunsen had stupidly thrown aside in attempts to get his clothes off quickly.

Just as he began to rip apart the laces of her shirt, she hooked her legs around his thighs, put her hands on his shoulders, still holding the blades, and quickly turned them so that Dunsen was now below her. He smiled at her then, "Love it when you wench's play rough" he said as he gave a quick slap to her behind.

Cressida grinned truly before responding, "You have no idea, _Ser_." With the last word of her sentence, she moved her right hand that was grasping the blade behind his neck and sliced through his shoulder.

Dunsen screamed as he tried to get Cressida off of him, "Fucking wench!" He scrambled to his side trying to grab his blade, only to find that it wasn't there. He turned to look back at her frantically as she pulled her left hand up in front of his face to show him. He tried to push her and hit her, but Cressida was far too fast for him as she held him in a firm grip below her.

He stilled then, as if he was curious about what she was going to do. She paused before she began, "You may not remember me Dunsen, but I remember you." Holding a blade to his neck, she used her left hand to peel her Cressida identity away from her.

"What sorcery is this?" he stared in astonishment and disgust.

"No sorcery, I am merely a girl, whose friend you have wronged. Or do you not remember me from when you first acquired your precious helm."

He glared at her, "I don't remember all the worthless shits I fight."

She tightened her hold on him and let her blade dig into the skin of his neck, "It was no fight, we were merely children. Children that you stole from. Children you took away as prisoners bound for Harrenhal, a place that knows of only death!" He continues to just stare at her confused as she finishes, "You wanted those bull horns to parade around as if you were some great warrior, and look at you now, defeated by a woman." She paused and grinned, "Well I think for that, you should surely have some bull horns."

He looked at her, terrified and then began to beg for his life as she stabbed him hard right above his left eye, "There's one horn" she laughed, leaving the blade in its place before doing the same with his own blade, over his right eye, "And there's two." She climbed off of him and watched him quickly die beside her, " _Valar morghulis"_. She was panting, filled with adrenaline as she got up and rummaged through Dunsen's clothes. There she found a small pouch of gold and another small blade. Cressida put her face back on and quietly ran up the stairs, closing the door behind her, to get a change of clothes, as hers were now bloody.

Once changed, with the blade stashed in her belt and the gold in her pocket, Cressida headed down to the tavern. She quickly found what she was looking for as Rhasher seemed to be passed out on the stool they left him in. Beside his head on the table, lay the bull's helm. Cressida made her way through the crowd of men, some trying to grab at her as she passed, until she reached Rhasher. As she came to a halt behind him, she grabbed the handle of the blade in her belt and quickly sliced it through the man's head. He would not instantly die, but he would never wake up either.

Cressida looked around the room to see if anyone had seen her, luckily they were all too drunk and the place was too crowded. As she turned toward the door to leave, she stopped. Without thinking, she grabbed the bull's helm and ran out the door. _Looks like I won't be getting that extra gold after all,_ Cressida thought, shaking her head. It had been worth it though, one more name crossed off the list, and two lives given to the Many-Faced God. Cressida smiled as she moved like a shadow through the canals, back to the House of Black and White carrying the helm in her hands.


	6. Chapter 6: Arya

On her way back to the House of Black and White, No One, shed her false face. As the deed was done, she no longer had any need for it. Once she is deep within the canals with no soul in sight, not even a cat, she takes a seat and looks at the helm in her hands. It is a beautiful helm, made for quite a large head. Something seemed so familiar about it, but she couldn't quite place it. As No One picked up the end of her tunic to wipe the helm, all she could picture was a boy who used to polish this helm many times a day, filled with pride as he admired his handiwork, but never wearing it. _A boy probably long gone,_ she sighed.

The boy she was picturing was similar to the one she dreamed about often in her wolf dreams, except the boy in her dreams is no boy at all, but a man. Probably as lost to her as her old wolf pack, her family. _No,_ she thought sternly to herself, _No One has no family._

At that thought, No One picked herself up and continued on her way to the House of Black and White. When she was very close to the entrance, she decided that she would hide the helm. She wasn't sure why she couldn't let it go, but she also knew that the Kindly Man would never let her keep it. As she made her way closer to the steps, she sought out a large rock pile to hide the helm. She found one easily enough, as the steps were right along the shore.

No One placed the helm beneath one rock and used all of her strength to adjust the other rocks around it to keep it hidden. As she stepped back to admire her handiwork, there was a glimmer in her right eye. She turned fast with her blade in hand, ready to attack, when she saw the source of the slight glimmer; steel. No One moved closer toward it, taking a quick glance at the large harvest moon riding low along the shore, no doubt the source of the glare, and shifts the small rocks covering it. She gasps at the site of the small form of Valyrian steel before her, _Needle_.

She slowly picks it up by the small handle, and then glancing around to make sure no one was following her. She tossed the small blade from hand to hand admiring the feel of it, remembering her very first sword lesson, _Stick 'em with the pointy end_ , she thought with a smile, thinking of person who gave it to her, her favorite brother, _Jon._ She remembered his name with a sad smile, wondering what he was doing now, if he was even still alive, and if he was, would he still muss around her hair and call her 'little sister'. How she longed to see him and speak to him again.

She quickly got pulled from her thoughts as she heard a noise from the canal. When she looked to where the sound was echoing from, she saw that it had only been the pitter-patter of the cat's paws. No one let out a sigh of relief and then realized that she shouldn't be reminiscing over her past, _You are No One now_ , she thought, putting Needle in a more secure hiding place, _I don't think Jon would even recognize me_.

With one last look at the rocks hiding her possessions, No One collected herself, focusing on the art of controlling one's facial features to hide emotion. She could not give anything away about the events that came to pass that night. No One slowly walked up the steps, and opened the Black door. As she entered and turned around to shut the door, she heard a familiar voice, "A girl returns so soon? Is the deed done?"

No One turned, now facing the Kindly Man, narrowing her gaze, "The deed is done. _Valar morghulis."_

The Kindly Man gave a curt nod, "Good. _Valar dohaeris"_ then continued on walking to wherever he was going. No One quietly made her way to her chamber, almost skipping at the events that had happened that day. When she entered her chamber, she quickly changed out of her clothes, washed her face, put the gold she still had in her belt, under her bed and climbed on in. She stared up at the ceiling with a soft smile before closing her eyes, knowing that the night would be filled with dreams of wolves.

No One awakens a few mornings later feeling full, a feeling she has been without for years now. She doesn't feel like No One, she feels like, like, _Arya_. She whispers the name on her lips, just to acknowledge that she can. She smiles as she thinks to the dreams she has been having – dreams filled with a great wolf pack and blue eyes.

She dresses quickly and heads toward the room of Many Faces to receive her next assignment. It has been hard these past few days to keep her slowly returning identity from surfacing. It took all of her focus to remain No One and not slip back into Arya. Hiding her elated emotions, Arya walked in to the room to see the Kindly Man and the Waif already there waiting.

"The girl finally makes an appearance."

She stares blankly at him, "I simply overslept."

The Kindly Man narrows his gaze at her, while the Waif is full on glaring at her, "Dreaming, perhaps?"

Arya quickly looks to her feet, wondering how he could possibly know. When she slowly lifts her gaze, the Kindly Man gives her a hard slap across the face, "A girl would do well to remember her place here."

Not daring to touch her flaring cheek, Arya inhales slowly before responding, "A girl does."

He shakes his head, "Sometimes a man wonders."

With that he turned from her and gazed upon the hundreds of faces before him before deciding on a very ugly looking face, covered in scars. The Kindly Man smiled mischievously at her as he handed the face to the Waif, "The Many-Faced God sees it fit for a girl to follow a group of Westerosi guard and gather information. The girl must return with information, three new pieces each day."

Arya raises her brow questionably, "A task similar to one of my very first ones."

The Kindly Man leaned toward her, looking unimpressed, "So that a girl can remember her place."

He walks away then, leaving Arya with the Waif, "You shall bare an ugly face, a simple girl named Mos to ensure those Westerosi do not take advantage of you."

"I am not afraid."

The Waif shakes her head, "Regardless, this will ensure that you do not cause too much trouble."

Arya glares at her as she snags the face away from the Waif's grasp and puts it on, slowly becoming Mos.


	7. Chapter 7: Gendry

_**A/N : Hi everyone, sorry for the delay in posting this. I've just come home for the holidays, so I've been quite busy with the family. I plan on posting one more chapter before Christmas...a Mos/Arya chapter, and then that might be it until after New Years. I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays! Thank you so much for reading and commenting! I love reading people's comments!**_

The next few days passed by quickly as Gendry worked away at repairing all of the Brotherhood's armour. Ever since first seeing the Brotherhood return, Gendry had not seen them very much except to collect their damaged armour. He liked the men enough, they were kind to him and the little orphans at the Crossroad's Inn, but they all seemed to pity him. Whenever he ate with them, they seemed to always try and talk him into bedding Jeyne, or even one of the many wench's they would bring back to the Inn with them. Gendry always refused, seeking solace in the forge. He did wonder why the men brought wenches with them. Surely an Inn full of orphans was not the right place. When Gendry had asked Harwin about it, he simply laughed and said, "We've got to enjoy every minute we have without Lady Stoneheart lurking around."

 _Ugh_ , Gendry hated that woman, she was not even a woman, and especially not Arya's Lady Mother. He often thought about the day she was resurrected. When Lord Beric sacrificed himself for her. She can barely communicate, and when she does, it is just to order more death. She was simply a monster, killing anyone containing the name Frey, Lannister or Bolton. He understood her vengeance, but did not think it justified for relatives to pay for something that they did not partake in.

Gendry hated how much he thought about Lady Stoneheart, but mostly he thought about what Arya would say. He likes to think that Arya would be disgusted with the Lady, barking out ruthless killing orders, especially to innocent people such as Brienne. Luckily, he had been able to free her in all of the chaos, just in time for the Kingslayer to arrive and take her away. As far as he knew, they were both now in the Vale protecting the other Stark girl, probably the only reason that the Lady has not ordered the Brotherhood to go after them.

Gendry continues thinking on the Lady Brienne, how she is unlike any other woman he'd ever seen. She looked nothing like Arya, yet she was very good with a sword, _just like Arya would be_. He sighs at the thought, putting down his hammer and heads into the Inn to break his fast. As he enters, he spots Harwin sitting in the corner, engaged in conversation with one of the orphan boys, and heads over to join him. Whatever he was saying, made the boy smile. Gendry was glad at this, the children rarely get a reason to smile.

Harwin looked up as Gendry approached and gestured him over as the orphan boy went back into the kitchen. Gendry sat down across from Harwin and broke off a piece of bread, still deep in thought.

"Something on your mind?"

"Aye."

Harwin shook his head at Gendry's response, "Well, out with it then."

Gendry leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table, "Well I was just thinking about Lady Brienne, and if she is still serving the Stark girl."

Harwin gave him an odd look before responding, "Aye. Last time I checked Brienne is still in service of Lady Sansa, although she's not a Stark anymore."

"No?"

"She's gone and got herself a second husband, the Lord of the Vale, Harry Hardyng" he paused and leaned in closer, "Word is she's carrying a babe."

Gendry leaned back, "Truly?"

"Aye."

They both grew silent for a moment before Gendry asked the question they were both thinking, "You think that the Lady Stoneheart will ever try to visit her once the babe is born?"

Harwin pressed his lips together, "I would hope not. I do not even know if the Lady would recognize her daughters" he paused, "And you don't want her to be scaring off the babe do ya?" Harwin chuckled at this.

"Aye."

As Gendry was thinking about Sansa, Jeyne entered the hall with a plateful of food. At the other end of the hall, the door slammed open as most of the Brotherhood entered to break their fast. Tom and Lem have their arms resting on each other's shoulders, belting out a tune. Harwin laughs at the men, and then slides over to make room for them. Thoros comes to Gendry's side and sits down.

"How's the armour coming lad?"

Gendry gave him a curt nod, "It's coming."

Thoros gave his shoulder a slap and looked at the other men, "Always the talkative one!"

The men all laugh at him before Harwin says, "Leave the poor lad alone. We are just lucky to have such a skilled smith!"

The men nod their heads a Gendry, except Tom who shakes his head, "You need a woman to loosen you up."

The men gave their approval as Gendry looked down, avoiding eye contact with Jeyne, whose eyes he could feel on him. After a moment, he slowly brings his gaze up to see Jeyne looking sad as she walks away, into the kitchen.

Tom leans in close to him, "Come on now lad, you know she likes ya. Might as well make her happy."

Gendry's temper is flaring at this point as he pushes his chair out and stands to leave. He walked out and slammed the door behind him. He leaned on the porch railing, taking his head in his hands. The men did not seem to understand. Gendry would never put another bastard into this world, especially not with Jeyne, who he cared for too much to disrespect. Jeyne and Willow were like his sisters.

Gendry lifted his head and looked to the moon, it was bright and full, and he wondered if the wolves were nearby. He heard the door close behind him, and turned his head to see Harwin standing beside him. "Pay no mind to them lad. You're free to do as you please" he smiled at Gendry, patted him on the back and joined him, staring at the moon.

A few moments passed before he broke the silence, "We're leaving at first light. Should be back in a fortnight with more supplies. We'll probably have lot's more armour for you to fix as well."

Gendry sighed at this, relieved that he didn't have to worry about food. They hear a loud crash behind them, and turn to see Ned Dayne trying to pick himself up. Harwin laughs at him before helping him up, "Had a bit much to drink lad?"

Ned stood up straight, fixing himself, "Tom keeps trying to get me drunk."

Harwin chuckled, "Well I think the man has succeeded."

To Gendry's dismay, Harwin went back into the hall, leaving Gendry alone with Ned. They talk for a while, mostly about the most recent wolf attack. Not long after, Ned has crashed onto the porch and starts humming. Gendry shakes his head at him, bids him goodnight and heads back to the forge. As he makes his way across the clearing, to the small forge at the edge of the forest, Gendry hears a whimper among the trees. He turns and looks all around for the source of the sound, before landing his gaze on bright yellow eyes. He remains still, in awe, as the great wolf walks through the trees and makes her way towards him. The wolf stops a few feet away from him and sniffs the air. Once satisfied with his scent, the wolf slowly moved even closer to him. Terrified, Gendry glues his eyes shut, preparing for the worst, wishing he could say goodbye to Willow and Jeyne, wishing he could see Arya one last time.

He is suddenly surprised when he feels the wolf licking his hand, which was glued to his side. He shoots his eyes open at this, and looks curiously at the wolf, who nudges his hand with her nose, as if she wanted him to pet her. Gendry obliges, looking into those yellow eyes and thinking of Arya, when he hears the loud bang of the hall door. He pulls his hand away and looks toward the sound to see Tom stumbling out the door with a wench under his arm. Gendry shakes his head before returning his gaze to the wolf. Only she was gone, silently into the night, as if she were never there.


	8. Chapter 8: Mos

_**A/N: Hi everyone...so sorry I didn't get to posting this before Christmas. I got way to caught up in the holidays I guess. Hope everyone is having a great holiday and have a Happy New Year! Hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for reading and commenting!**_

The very next day, Mos set out wearing a dull grey dress in attempts to blend in. The Waif had told her that these Westerosi men had just arrived from the Saltpans and could be found near the market of the canals. As Mos moved ever so quietly through the canals, keeping her eyes down, she was reminded of another role she played, where she got to roam these canals for days, _Cat_.

By the time Mos arrived in the square situated beside the harbour, the cobbled streets were filled with Braavosi selling certain items, and foreigners wandering around, picking out items that caught their eye. Mos had no trouble identifying the group of Westerosi men, with their shiny armour, long swords and their smug faces, _clearly from King's Landing,_ she thought. As they were walking toward her, Mos quickly stopped at a young child selling oysters, and bought a few. By the time they made the exchange, the Westerosi men were now in front of her.

The men moved forcefully through the crowd, shoving down anyone in their way. The leader, a well-muscled man with auburn hair seemed to have gotten in a fight with a woman, protecting her son from his shoves, "You better move it cunt" he spat, "Your son wasn't respecting the sword."

As he brought his hand down to the handle of his sword, the woman dropped to her knees and pleaded in the Braavosi language. The man shook his head, "Worthless cunt, doesn't even speak the common tongue."

Mos was disgusted at this man, as he went to hit the child, while the other men laughed behind him. Mos was not supposed to cause trouble, so she just watched the scene before her as the mother grabbed her son and ran in the other direction. The men, still laughing, carried on their way down the streets, with Mos following close behind.

A while later, as the men gathered around the entrance to a tavern, Mos still hadn't learned three things from them. So far, she knew that they loved to torment people and that they serve the Tyrell's, _they are a long way from Highgarden!_ , she thought. Still, she only had one good piece of information to tell the Kindly Man. She shook her head in annoyance as she stepped into the tavern behind the men.

The hall was not yet busy, as it was still relatively early in the day, so Mos took a seat at an empty table in the corner, just far enough from the rowdy men seated in the middle of them room. As she drank the water she ordered, she listened intently to the men.

"….they do got some pretty wenches here though, I'll give 'em that", spat the skinny man as he grabbed one of the serving girls as she walked by.

The leader shook his head at him, "No finer than back West, especially those highborn ladies."

His men laughed around him, "Of course, they're pretty enough, they're purebred cunts!"

Another man chimed in, "But you won't be getting no highborns, you're lucky to be getting these fine ladies." He grabbed the other serving wench, and pulled her into his lap, grinning. The conversation went on for a while, comparing native Braavosi to the highborns back West.

"Well how about the dragon queen? Gods be good I'd love me a piece of that." The poor man looked love stricken as the others laughed at his declaration.

After recovering from their fit of laughter, the leader smirked, "It's true, she's even prettier than the Stark girl." Mos perked up her ears at this.

"Aye, although apparently the Stark girl is married now."

One stout man, who still appeared to be somewhat sober looked taken aback, "To who?"

"To the Lord of the Vale of course." He paused, "Well the new one, seeing as Baelish fell through the Moon Door." He shook his head, "Creepy place that. I don't like heights much me-self."

The leader, the only one still sober enough to carry on a conversation with the stout man huffed, "I'm surprised she was still able to obtain such a match, seeing as the Stark name is practically extinct." Mos clenched her fists under the table.

"The Starks will always be important to true Northmen, that aren't still following that awful Bolton fellow."

The leader leaned back in his chair, "That bastard is a twisted cunt. I can't believe the dragon Queen has not done away with him yet." He shook his head, "Although I suppose she would need another strong Warden of the North, and those are hard to come by." Mos thought he was quite the hypocrite, seeing as he had hurt that boy back in the square.

The stout man leaned in closer, as if not wanting to be overheard, "I hear the Stark's are not quite as extinct as we would think." The leader leans closer, taking the information in, "Apparently the youngest is building his army near Skagos with those who still swear fealty to the Stark's."

"Shouldn't be that hard, seeing as no one in their right mind would follow Bolton."

"And that's not all. Apparently Stark's bastard is said to be half Targaryen."

 _Jon,_ Mos couldn't believe this. He was her brother, her favorite brother. He who gave her Needle and mussed her hair, _this man has to be lying!_ , she though angrily.

The leader nods his head, "Aye. Everyone knows these rumors."

The stout man smiled, "Not just rumors. The Queen is close to him, whispering promises to him about retaking his family home."

The leader leaned back and laughed, "What home? It was destroyed" he craned his neck toward the man and continued laughing, "What are you? The fucking 'Spider'?" he slapped the man on the shoulder, " 'Nough of this Westeros talk, let's get back to the wenches!" he yells, and claps his hands for the serving girls to return to him. At this, Mos has had enough of these men who speak lies of her family. Mos quickly stood and exited the tavern, taking off into the canals.

Once Mos is deep within the canals, she sheds her face, becoming Arya once again. She slowly makes her way through the canals, back toward the House of Black and White, thinking over everything she just learned. Her brother is alive! Not just Jon, but Rickon as well. _Perhaps if Rickon survived Theon's capture, Bran did as well,_ she thought happily. And with Arya alive, and Sansa also alive in the Vale, the Stark line was hardly extinct at all. _The bastard Bolton still held the North though_ , she huffed. Arya had heard the rumours of herself being wed to the Bastard, and she thought maybe it was time to let out her vengeance.

Arya exited the canals and made her way toward the door. She raised her arm to the handle, before drawing it back to her side and turning around. She ran back down the steps and moved the rocks that were hiding Needle and the Bull's helm. She tucked Needle into her belt and held the helm in her left hand. For the first time in 5 years, she opened the door not as No One, but as Arya Stark of Winterfell.


	9. Chapter 9: Arya

_**A/N: Hey guys! Just wanted to start off by apologizing profusely for lack of posting recently...so sorry! I have started a new school semester, and it has been incredibly busy, but I will try harder to keep up on writing this because I really enjoy writing, and I love reading your comments! Thank you for reading! In the next chapter, Arya will see Gendry...yay! :)**_

As Arya closed the black and white door behind her, she could sense a presence on her right. Her training had taught exceptional skills of using her senses.

"Late night?" The Waif questions.

Arya slowly turned toward her to answer, and sees that the Kindly Man is there too. "I had other things to take care of."

The Kindly Man shakes his head disapprovingly and looks to the helm in her hands, "A man sees." Arya stands there in front of the Kindly Man, ready to be dealt a punishment. She looks him in the eye, draining emotion from her face. He raises his brow and asks, "What pieces of information does a girl bring?"

Arya let out a huff, taken aback at his calm demeanor. She takes a deep breath before answering, "I learned that Rickon Stark is alive and is building an army in the North" she pauses, taking in their glares, "I learned that Sansa Stark is married and carries a babe in her belly. And I learned that Jon Snow is not a Snow at all, but half Targaryen." Arya looks to her feet when she admits her last piece of information, saddened at the thought of Jon not being her true brother.

The Waif takes a step towards her, and uses her hand to lift up Arya's chin, forcing her to look the Waif in the eye, "You are affected by this?" Arya could not respond, just looked at the Waif's questionable expression as the Kindly Man began to speak, "A girl carries an identity with her still, even after denying it these last 5 years."

Arya looked to him, it was not a question, just a statement, one in which Arya could not deny, so instead she simply nodded her head. The Kindly Man took a deep breath and handed the helm to the Waif as he said, "There is no place for Arya Stark here" and with that, the Kindly Man turned down the hallway and disappeared into the darkness.

The Waif looked at the helm in her hands before handing it to Arya, "It is time that Arya Stark returned home." Arya takes the helm and nods, surprised that the Waif is not angrier at her. Arya turns to leave when she feels a hand wrap around her arm. She turns to see the Waif holding an ugly face in her hands, "You should bare this face to ensure safe passage."

Arya takes the face and looks at it, confused as to why the Waif would help her. She looks up to thank her and realizes she is already gone. Arya bids farewell to the dark halls of the House of Black and White and makes her exit. Once outside, Arya sits on the steps and looks toward the moon, thinking of her wolf Nymeria, wondering if she is still alive, if that boy she saw in her dream is still alive. Soon after, Arya puts on her new face and allows herself to drift off to sleep.

Arya wakes early the next morning as the sun begins to rise. She grabs her belongings, which is really just the helm and Needle, and takes off through the canals toward where the ships docked. When she finally arrives, the place is crowded with ship crew's scattered, getting ready to set sail. She weaves her way through, asking for the Captains of this ships. After five failed attempts, she was presented with the Captain of 'The Crone's Flight', who seemed like a nice enough man. The Captain allowed her aboard the ship headed to the Saltpans, after she gave him some of the gold she had collected and kept under her skirts from her time as one of the Faceless.

As her face was ugly, most of the men ignored her completely as they set sail and began to work. In the terms of the Captain's agreement with her, Arya helped as best she could on deck, remembering her time as 'Salty', aboard 'The Titan's Daughter'. Arya worked hard for her place on the ship, and was rewarded with her own room to sleep. She could not sleep much, anticipating her arrival back in Westeros, but when she did sleep, she had wolf dreams. Dreams of leading a great wolf pack, wondering the Riverlands, seeing a man with coal black hair and deep blue eyes. But mostly she dreamt of running; running through the forest, completely free.

As the days passed, Arya watched the men, keeping careful eyes on anyone who would come close to her. The Captain seemed nice enough however, and on the third day at sea he called for her. He asked her name and without hesitation, she told him that her name was 'Nym'. He nodded and looked her over, taking pity on her distraught skirts, and gave her an old pair of breeches along with a tunic fit for a young boy. Arya gave her thanks and returned to her small cabin to change.

The following few days presented treacherous storms across the Narrow Sea, and Arya became very thankful for her more comfortable clothes. She got sick only once as the waves were so high and crashing onto the deck with such strong force. Once the storm finally passed, the sea became calm once again, offering solace to Arya's weakening stomach. As the sky cleared and the fog lifted on their sixth day at sea, the Captain called for their arrival to the land in the distance. When he yelled to his crew to prepare to dock the ship, Arya raced to the front of the ship, looking over the bow at the land in front of her, _Westeros_ , she thought with a grin on her face.

The crew quickly worked around her as she gathered her things from her cabin and awaited their arrival. Once docked, Arya thanked the Captain and then walked off the 'The Crone's Flight', taking her first steps in Westeros in over five years. Arya walked around the Saltpans for a short time, listening in on conversations to determine her best way of travel. She wanted to go north to join Rickon, but she would not go there until she found Nymeria. With all of her recent wolf dreams, Arya could feel that Nymeria was alive, and somewhere in the Riverlands. She overheard a small group of travelers talking about a small Inn off of the King's road, somewhere close to Riverrun. Arya put the helm and her dirty old skirts in the bag the Captain had given her, and slung it across her shoulders. With gold in her pocket and Needle at her hip, Arya started on her way to the Crossroad's Inn.


	10. Chapter 10: Arya

_**A/N: Hey guys! Here is the next chapter from Arya's perspective, hope you enjoy it! Next one will be from Gendry's perspective. As always, thanks for reading! :)**_

It had taken Arya 3 days' time to make it to the Crossroad's Inn. With her ugly disguise, and the amount of weapons she kept on her, she wasn't bothered much, not that there was even many people around to bother her. She had slept very little, as she had to keep her senses alert. It also didn't help that she could hear the howls of a great wolf pack in the distance; this sound did not annoy her, it enchanted her, making her think of Nymeria and wondering how close she was.

When Arya finally did arrive at the Crossroad's Inn, she came to the quick realization that it was inhabited by a lot of small children running around the yard. At the edge of the forest, there was a small forge where Arya could see the smoke rising out of it. She was quite surprised to see that the Inn could afford a smith, and even more surprised that they needed one, seeing as she had only seen children around. She had not been to a forge in ages, she must remember to go there to get her weapons sharpened.

As she made her way across the yard, she saw that the exterior of the place looked in disarray, as if it had been attacked, not that it mattered, as Arya had not had a good meal in days since game had been so scarce. Arya quietly made her way in the door, reassuringly putting her hand on Needle before stepping inside. The tavern seemed nice enough, although she could imagine is was quite chaotic with all the little ones running around. There was a plain girl with brown hair and brown eyes, who looked a few years older than Arya, standing behind the counter pouring drinks of water for the children. There was also another girl, about Arya's age, who was the centre of attention for the group of children running around her and poking at each other. It was an interesting sight to see, one Arya had seen in many years.

Arya walked toward the older girl and cleared her throat. The older girl stopped what she was doing and looked at her, "Something I can help you with?"

Arya attempted a smile, "I'd like a room for a few nights."

"That'll be a silver."

Arya had more than enough to last her until she reached the north. "'Tis fine" she said as she reached into her pocket and gave the girl a silver.

The girl eyed her suspiciously, took the coin and then shrugged her shoulders, "Wait a moment and then I'll bring you up to your room."

Arya turned to look at the girl's sister who was now standing close to Arya with the children behind her, all glaring at Arya. The girl then quickly turned her head, let out a huff and marched out the door with the children following behind her. The older girl laughed, "Ignore her, she doesn't much like visitors. She's just protectin' the little ones."

"Is it just the two of you running this place?" Arya asked.

"'Tis mostly just me and my sister Willow," she pauses and goes in the kitchen, probably putting the silver away, and quickly returns "Name's Jeyne" she said smiling as she wiped down the counter.

"Nym".

Jeyne walks out from behind the counter and gestures for Arya to follow her up the stairs. Arya slings her bag back around her shoulders and follows the girl up the stairs and down the hall, where they stop and turn left into a room. The room was small in size, but Arya didn't need much space. Jeyne went around the bed and opened the window before looking back at Arya, "It's not much, but it should suit you just fine. And the bath is just across the hall there" she said looking her up and down. Clearly the girl thought Arya needed a bath. Arya looked down at herself then and seeing how dirty and smelly her clothes were, a bath would be a good idea.

Jeyne walked past Arya and put her hand on the doorknob, "I'll let you get settled then. Food will be served in a few hours." Arya thanked her and then Jeyne left the room and closed the door. She tossed her bag on the bed and sat down, resting her legs. After a moments rest, Arya hopped back and, grabbed her things and headed across the hall to bathe.

There was no way that she could trust to leave her things in her room, so Arya brought them all with her, and laid them beside the tub as she got undressed. There was a large mirror situated near the door, and as Arya removed her face, she couldn't help but stare at the stranger staring back at her. Arya had not seen her reflection in years, maybe not even since her days in King's Landing, and she couldn't believe what she saw. She was indeed a woman grown, with a small, but generous bosom, considering her size, as well as a slight swell in her hips. She had lots of scars and bruises all over her body from her time as a Faceless man, so it was difficult to comprehend how womanly some of her features were. She moved her eyes upwards again and stepped closer to the mirror taking in the sight of her face. She had grown into her features, no longer qualifying to be called 'Arya horseface'. Her face had filled out and her eyes were still the piercing Stark grey that reminded her of her father. Her hair had grown longer, which she obviously knew, but she hadn't realized it was as luscious and chestnut brown as it was. Arya took a step back to examine herself fully, wondering if this was what her aunt had looked like, as everyone had always commented on their likeness.

When the water was finally warm enough, Arya made her way over and slipped into the tub. It stung at first, with some of her cuts and bruises she had gained from her travels, which were still healing. She laid her head back at first and let herself rest before starting to scrub away at the dirt lining her body. After she thought she'd gotten most of the dirt and debris out of her hair, Arya rose from the tub and let it drain as she started to get dressed in her tunic and breeches and put her face back on, becoming 'Nym' once again. When she was gathering her things, Arya could hear noise coming from downstairs.

Arya slipped out the door with Needle in hand and went back into her room. Once there she took two small blades out of her bag that she had taken from 'The Crone's Flight' and slipped one inside her tunic, and strapped the other to her ankle. She kept her gold in her pocket, and decided it would be best to leave her other possessions (the helm and Needle) behind. She carefully hid them away under a large, loose floorboard, and then made her way downstairs.

When she arrived in the hall, it was filled with men which surprised Arya, as she did not think the Inn to be a very popular place, especially with all the children. As she made her way closer to the tables, she realized that she knows these men, _The Brotherhood_. Arya couldn't believe it! On her right she saw Anguy engaging in conversation with Willow and Harwin, while on her left she saw Tom getting ready to start singing a tune.

To ignore attracting attention to herself, she quickly made her way over to a corner table where Jeyne came over and placed a bowl of stew in front of her, "Sorry about the noise."

"Do these men come here often?" Arya said staring ahead and seeing Lem and Thoros enter through the main door.

Jeyne followed Arya's eyes and then looked back at her, "They come often enough. Nothing to worry about though, they are friends" and with that Jeyne left her alone. Arya ate her stew, being pleasantly ignored by the Brotherhood as she ate. As she continued eating, she decided that it would be best to remain invisible; she had a job to do and couldn't have anything standing in her way. Once Arya had finished her food, she began rising out of her chair when she heard someone holler, "Gendry, m'boy!" Arya sucked in a breath and raised her head to see striking blue eyes on head with hair black as coal, the same as in her wolf dreams, the same as a boy who had been part of her pack, _Gendry_.


	11. Chapter 11: Gendry

_**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the cliffhanger ending of the last chapter...it just felt right! Anyways, hope you enjoy this one! The next one will be from Arya's perspective, and remember that she is still disguised, so it may be a few chapters until Gendry realizes who she is. As always, thanks for reading! :)**_

It had been almost a fortnight since Gendry had seen the great wolf, and he still could not stop thinking about her, wondering why she had seemed so friendly, it astounded him. Unfortunately, Gendry hadn't seen her since then, so he wasn't even sure himself if it had actually happened. He did still hear the wolf pack though, howling at night somewhere in the distance.

Once the Brotherhood had left, and the wolves had retreated deep into the forest, the Inn had gone back to being a place of solitude, especially the forge. Gendry still had armour to repair, which he could do so now without the constant interruption of Thoros or Lem. The days went by quickly as he pounded away at the steel, molding it into shape in the burning forge. Winter may have come to the seven kingdoms, but Gendry could always find warmth in his forge.

The Brotherhood would soon be returning and would be wanting their armour back in pristine condition. Gendry was now quickly working away, with his hammer in hand when Willow came bashing through the door with a group of children behind her, standing at the door. Gendry quickly walked over to her, "What's wrong?"

Willow jumps up to take a seat on the table and sighs, "We have a new visitor, she's an ugly thing."

Gendry lets out a sigh of relief and returns to his work, "I don't see the problem, long as she's got coin."

Willow raises her brow at him, "She does, but I don't trust her, too many scars on her face."

"I'm sure she's nothing to worry about. Besides, we could use the coin and the Brotherhood will be returning soon."

"Ugh! You sound just like Jeyne" she huffed and then hopped off the table and exiting through the door with the children following behind her. Gendry let out and laugh and shook his head.

He continued his work for a time, until his stomach was screaming at him for a break. The moment he broke his concentration from his work, he realized there was noise outside. He took a quick peak out of the door to see the Brotherhood had returned, _right on time_ Gendry thought. With food on his mind, Gendry put his hammer away and headed out toward the tavern. On his way there he encountered some of the Brotherhood already piss drunk and stumbling over their own feet. Gendry shook his head at them in annoyance as he had to step over one to get in the door. He stood in the doorway for a moment, scanning the busy room for the new visitor Willow wanted to keep a close eye on.

"Gendry m'boy!" Len shouted at him in greeting. Gendry gave him a small smile and began to head toward him as he had a big plate of food right beside him. Gendry had taken two steps looking blindly around when he was met with black eyes intensely staring at him, _this must be the new visitor_ , Gendry thought. He kept her gaze for a moment, ignoring Lem altogether, as he studied her. Willow was right when she said that this new girl was a sight for sore eyes. Her brow look disheveled and she had a large scar going from the tip of her hairline, down toward her mouth. He only kept her gaze a moment longer, before she tore away and took off up the stairs. He stared on after her, worried that he had offended her, and wondering if he had imagined the fact that her eyes had lightened in color just before she ran off. Gendry looked to his feet, ashamed as Lem pulled him over to sit next to him. He looked up to see Jeyne standing beside him carrying a plate.

"Seems like you scared the poor girl off", Jeyne said with a laugh as she placed the plate in front of him.

"I didn't mean anything by it."

Jeyne shot him a smile, "S'alright. I think she's just shy, especially with this noisy bunch around."

Jeyne left Gendry to eat his food while catching up with the Brotherhood, which mostly entailed hearing of who they found lurking near the Twins and decided to hang. After Gendry had heard just about enough from Lem, Thoros and Anguy, Willow joined them at the table, pushing Lem out of the way to be able to sit next to Gendry.

Lem stumbled easily out of his chair from all the ale he'd been drinking, "Oi! Watch who yer pushin' there girl."

The men laughed at him as he attempted to push himself against the wall. Willow rolled her eyes at the man before returning her attention back to Gendry, "Did you see Nym?"

"Nym?"

Willow shook her head at him, "The new girl."

"Yeah I saw her, but she took off up the stairs."

Willow smiled, "I know I was just searching her room."

Gendry leaned back, "You were what?"

"I just wanted to have a quick look through her things, make sure she wasn't dangerous."

Gendry's eyes widened, "You shouldn't be doing that, it's not right."

"Tis my Inn, I can do what I want." Gendry shook his head at her stubbornness. She rolled her eyes before continuing, "Anyways, I didn't even find anything. She just had an old bag with some torn up clothes."

"See, so you were wrong about her."

Willow narrowed her eyes at him, "Or maybe she just keeps all of her possessions on her, in that big ugly tunic." Gendry couldn't believe her stubbornness. The girl was a puny thing, and he doubted she could really be a danger to them.

Not wanting to fight with Willow any longer, Gendry stood up and bid them goodnight before making his way out the door. He slowly made his way back to the forge, stopping when he heard a howl that sounded as if it could be nearby. Gendry quickly scanned the surrounding forest edge, but didn't see any wolves, _must've been imagining it,_ he thought, shaking his head. He gave a quick glance at the Inn behind him, realizing that the new girl, Nym was looking out her window toward the forest, _she must've heard it too_ , he thought. She shot him a glare when she felt his eyes on her and disappeared from the window. _Great!_ He cursed under his breath when he entered the forge, as he had somehow been able to offend the girl twice before even opening his stupid mouth.


	12. Chapter 12: Arya

_**A/N: Hi everyone! Here is the next Arya chapter...hope you enjoy it! This is the fastest I've ever gotten a chapter up! Pretty exciting! And I even have the next one written as well (exciting stuff happening in the next one), so I will post that one soon. And for everyone out there waiting for Gendry to realize it's Arya...don't worry, you won't have to wait much longer! :)**_

Arya woke early the following morning, not trusting her surroundings enough to let her sleep. She had had trouble getting to sleep when her thoughts kept drifting toward the fact that the Brotherhood was here, and not only that, but Gendry was still with them, _stupid Bull!_ She thought for sure that he would have been dead by now, although that same could be said about her.

When she was able to sleep, her dreams were filled with Nymeria, running free through the woods with her pack behind her. Once Arya had heard the howls last night, she had felt more connected to Nymeria, _she must be close_ , she thought. But then the stupid Bull would keep distracting her from her happy slumber. She would dream herself outside the forge watching over Gendry as he worked and slept, almost as if it was happening in real time. _No,_ Arya shook her head, _not possible_.

With that on her mind, Arya got herself up and dressed, putting her face back on, and secured her two small blades. She went to the window to take a quick peek, and saw that the forge was alive with smoke. Arya quickly opened her window and she could hear ever so faintly, the sound of hammer upon anvil, a sound that she didn't even realize she had forgotten.

Arya made her way down the stairs and into the meal hall where Jeyne flashed her a small smile from behind the counter. She took a seat in the corner and waited for Jeyne to bring her some food. Jeyne disappeared into the kitchen before returning with a plate for Arya, "Here ya go" she smiled, "Hope you slept well."

Arya offered her a small smile, "I did thanks." Jeyne opened her mouth to say more, but was interrupted by Willow stomping down the stairs, her hands full of dirty looking tunics. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she chucked the tunics on the floor and growled at Jeyne, "Those damn men expect all their tunics and breeches washed by the time they wake up! Not bloody likely!"

Jeyne laughed at her distressed sister, "They are a needy bunch."

Willow rolled her eyes at the understatement and began picking up the tunics, "And here I was thinking I would be able to work with Anguy today."

Jeyne narrowed her eyes, "Work with Anguy?"

"He's teaching me how to use a bow" she said excitingly, "Then maybe he will teach me how to use a sword." _Maybe she isn't so bad after all_ , Arya thought.

Jeyne shook her head, "Your first duty is to the Inn, enough of this bow and sword nonsense."

Willow glared at her sister and stomped out of the room with the tunics in tow. Arya felt bad for the pair, having to deal with the Brotherhood. After she finished eating, she brought Jeyne her dishes, "I could help" Arya suggested. She planned on staying there for a few days anyway to search for Nymeria. "I'm not much help in the kitchen, but I could help in the stables."

Jeyne's eyes widened in shock, "But you're a guest."

"Aye. Doesn't mean I can't help."

Jeyne looked around the place, realizing the poor state that it was in, and then agreed, "Alright. But I'd have to give you your silver back."

Arya shook her head, "I won't accept it."

Jeyne smiled and placed her hands on top of Arya's. It took everything Arya had not to pull her hands away; the touch being so uncomfortable. "Thank you" Jeyne said sweetly. Arya offered her a small smile in return.

The day passed by quickly as Arya worked away at cleaning the stables. Willow had visited earlier in the day to give her some water. Now that Arya was helping, she felt that Willow did not disapprove of her as much. Later in the day, when Arya was sure she smelled just like the stuff she was shovelling up, she was surprised to see Gendry entering the stable. Arya leaned over the stable door to take a better look at him. He looked the same as ever in the light of day: hair still black, and eyes still a familiar shade of blue. But there was something about him that seemed different. He was still as strong as he had been, if not stronger, but on his face he wore sadness. In his arms he carried horseshoes that he must have just crafted. When he moved deeper into the stable, he was caught off guard at the sight of her studying him, "Hello."

She did not reply at first, just gave a slight smile, in hopes of being able to concentrate hard enough to control her features and her speech. After a moment of silence, he spoke again, "Nym right? Willow told me you were helping in the stable."

She didn't know what to say, so she just said, "Aye" and went back to her work. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him studying her before placing the horseshoes on the table and leaving.

The day wore on quickly as there was a lot of work for Arya to do in the stables. But as the sun started to set, Arya put down the brush she was using to scrub one of the horses, and made her way into the tavern. The hall was busy already with Tom singing in the corner. The other members of the Brotherhood were so loud, that they almost completely drowned out poor Tom. Arya made her way to the usual unoccupied corner table, with some of the men laughing at the state of her as she passed, and took a seat. She had been sitting for only a moment when Gendry entered. He quietly made his way over to join Harwin and Willow who were seated just two tables away from her. The moment he sat down, Arya took notice of how eager Willow was to talk to him, although he did not seem to return this expression.

Jeyne entered the hall from the kitchen carrying a large load of food with her. As she made her way around the tables and handed out plates, Arya noticed some of the men looking her way. After Jeyne gave Arya her plate, she moved on to Gendry's table and deposited the whole tray of food there, giving Gendry a tender smile before disappearing into the kitchen again with Willow following her this time. Arya had been trained in reading expressions, and it seemed to her that Jeyne deeply (and maybe even longingly) cared for Gendry. This kind of affection wasn't new to Arya, but it still made her uncomfortable, reminding her of Sansa's silly stories of a Knight rescuing a Princess.

Lem and Thoros, who had been standing near Tom, walked over to join Gendry's table. As they all started eating, Arya could overhear them teasing Gendry. Apparently they had also noticed Jeyne's affection toward Gendry, and they seemed to think it would be best for Gendry to bed her. _Seven hells,_ she thought, these men were just as awful as she remembered them. Arya looked to Gendry, who was staring down at his food and not responding to their teasing.

Tom stopped singing his song then and called over to Gendry, "Just have some good ol' fun with her lad" he smiled, "No harm in that." That notion made Arya angry, as if it would be alright for the stupid Bull to have his fun with the poor girl, not that it mattered to her of course. Gendry had been a part of her pack, but he had decided to leave her, something that Arya did not take lightly.

Luckily though, Gendry shook his head in response and took a swig of Lem's ale as they continued to tease him. Thoros offered him a smile, "Leave the lad alone with his grief." _Grief?_ Arya thought, _what did he have to grieve about?_

Lem sighed, "But it's been years since anyone has even spoken of the she-wolf." _She-wolf?_ Arya couldn't believe it, were they talking about her? Arya lost her train of thought as Gendry loudly pushed his seat back, stood up and stomped out of the Inn.

They all watched after Gendry with pitiful smiles on their faces as Tom began to play a familiar tune. Arya recognized it almost immediately, as the tune that Tom had played for them at Acorn Hall where she had to wear that stupid dress that she ended up ruining. Yes, the tune was 'No Featherbed for Me'. It dawned on her then that they were talking about her before. Arya looked to the space in which Gendry had just occupied feeling sad and angry towards him. _What did he have to grieve about?_ He was the one that decided to leave her to become the stupid Ser Gendry of Hollow Hill!

Shaking her head at herself, Arya stood and walked over to the stairs, not even being noticed by the men as she slipped away towards her room. When she entered, she ever so quietly lifted the loose floor board and lifted the Bull's helm into her hands. She was mad at him of course, but felt she should still return it to him before she left. She slowly put the helm back under the floor and undressed until she stood in just her smallclothes. She removed her face and hopped into bed attempting to clear her mind of thoughts of Gendry, and fill them with thoughts of her plan; her mission to find Nymeria and then reunite with what was left of her family to retake the North, to retake Winterfell. And then, after all that, she would hunt down and cross off every living member left on her list. She smiled at the thought, remembering her list and reciting what was left of it aloud for the first time in years, " _Cersei, Ser Meryn Trant, Ser Ilyn Payne, The Mountain."_ She may not remember their faces exactly, but she would always remember their names.


	13. Chapter 13: Arya

_**A/N: Hey guys...here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it! You get to see more badass Arya :) The next chapter will be from Gendry's perspective, but I'm not sure when I will post it as I have 4 midterms next week! Anyway's thanks for reading and please leave comments to let me know what you think! :D**_

 _Nymeria was stalking through the woods with blood hanging from her mouth from the stag she had just killed, leaving her pack behind to finish feasting. She ran as fast as she could, faster now as she made her way toward the Inn. She could feel it, smell it, sense it, her master was near. As she approached the forest edge, she could smell the fire. Nymeria approached the small building, remaining absolutely quiet as she peeked in through the window. The man was still there working away even though it was well into the night. She sat there for a time, watching him work and then slowly make his way to bed, completely ignorant that she was even there._

 _When the last candle had been blown out, Nymeria made her way closer to the Inn and begun sniffing around, trying to pick up a scent. She found it easily and stood outside her master's window. She was just about to let out a whine when she heard her pack calling her in the distance. She looked toward the forest, and then back toward the Inn and let out one small whine before running off into the night to where her pack was calling her…._

Arya woke with a start. Nymeria had felt so close in her dream, right outside of her window. Arya rose quickly to run over to her window, only to find that it was light out already, and there was no great direwolf waiting for her. Arya let out a sigh before putting her face back on and getting dressed in her tunic and breeches. With her two small blades tucked away, she made her way downstairs to break her fast. There were a few people there already eating including Anguy and Ned Dayne who were engaged in a conversation with Willow. When Arya passed by them, Willow flashed her a small smile.

Arya sat in the corner as Jeyne came out with some food. Just as Arya started to eat, she saw Anguy giving Willow a bow and the three of them making their way outside. Jeyne let out an annoyed snort and disappeared behind the counter. Arya wanted to join them. It had been so long since she held a bow, or sparred with someone, and she missed it. Maybe she would see if she could join them later. For the time being, Arya would just continue working in the stables.

She made her way over to the stables, passing by Willow watching Ned and Anguy spar in the yard. Arya quietly passed them, longing to spar with them and entered the stables. There was a lot of work for her to do to clean the stables, so she began working immediately. Around the noon hour, she heard someone enter the barn. She stopped working and peeked around the corner only to have Ned Dayne almost bump directly into her, "Oh my apologies milady."

Arya shook her head at him, "No apology necessary and I'm no lady."

Ned, still as courteous as ever, lowered his head and replied, "Of course." He stared at her for a moment, probably looking at the large scar across her face. She stared at him too realising how he'd grown. He was not so scrawny anymore and he still had deep purple eyes and wavy blonde hair. _Sansa would like him,_ she thought, _she always liked the pretty ones._ Arya laughed to herself, and Ned shot her a strange look, "Anyways, I just came in here to get my horse."

Arya nodded and made her way over to the sand steed that she knew was his, "She's a beauty."

"Thank you. I can take you for a ride later if you'd like" he smiled.

Arya offered a slight smile in return and stroked the horse, she really was beautiful, and Arya had been itching to go riding, "I'd like that Ser."

Ned nodded and then began to saddle his steed. A few other members of the Brotherhood came into the stables then and all began collecting their horses. Curious, Arya turned to Ned and asked, "Are they all leaving?"

Ned looked over to the men and then back at her, "We are just going to meet with the Lady Stoneheart and take care of some business nearby."

Arya raised her brow, "Lady Stoneheart?"

As Ned went to respond, Thoros came over and put his hands on his shoulders, "Ready to go then lad?" Ned nodded and both men sent her a smile as they left with their horses, the other men of the Brotherhood following close behind.

The day wore on as Arya worked away, getting more done now that most of the horses were gone. For a while, it had seemed quite peaceful as she was working. But a few hours later, she begun to hear noise coming from the children, probably playing outside. Deciding that she could use some water, Arya headed out of the barn and towards the Inn. As she exited the barn, she noticed three new horses tied the posts outside. Their saddles looked quite fancy, not something the Brotherhood would use. Anxious now, Arya hurried over to the Inn.

When she reached the door, she heard a commotion occurring on the other side. She could hear Willow yelling, "Leave the children alone! They didn' do nothing!" Arya moved to her left to peak into the window. There were three men in there and with their fancy cloaks, she knew they were the Queensguard. One of the men had his arm around Willow, restraining her, while another was doing the same to Jeyne. The children were all huddled in the corner looking very scared.

Just as Arya was about to intervene, she felt Gendry appear behind her, looking over her shoulder into the window. She looked over at him and he had his hammer in one hand and a sword in the other. He gave her a worried look and then said, "Stay here." She was about to protest, but he had already left her side and was entering the Inn. The three men looked at him when he entered, "Oi, what're you lot doin' here?"

The man that was not restraining the girls walked over to him and smiled, "Queen's business."

Gendry laughed, "Yes I'm sure the Queen sent you here to terrorize innocent children."

The man let out a huff in return and looked to Jeyne and Willow, licking his lips, "Aren't all children are they?" The other men laughed, "Leave now boy and we'll let you have the leftovers." Willows eyes widened at this statement and Jeyne sent Gendry a look of desperation.

Gendry began to lift his sword as he said, "Not bloody likely." It started to unravel fast as the man started fighting Gendry, and Arya noticed that he was not as awful with a sword as she remembered. The other man clearly outmatched him though, especially when the man holding Jeyne pushed her hard against the wall, knocking her out, and went to join the fight, heading directly for Gendry's back. _Stupid Bull_ Arya thought, _not watching his back_.

Without a moment's hesitation, Arya sprang into action, entering the hall as she removed her blades from the inside of her tunic. The man fighting Gendry had him on his knees quickly as he had deeply sliced his thigh. Gendry seemed doomed as the other man charged at him. Arya quickly moved towards him, emotion leaving her, letting her senses take over. She raised her right hand and flung the small blade at the man charging Gendry. It pierced him right in the back of the neck and he quickly fell down.

Arya then moved quickly again and grabbed the dead man's sword, " _Valar morghulis",_ she said. The sword was heavy at first, but it felt so right to have a sword in her hands again, to be fighting someone. With sword in hand, Arya spun around quickly to meet the sword of the man fighting Gendry, about to take off his head, with Willow screaming in the background. The man turned to fight her, forgetting Gendry, so Arya assumed her stance. And soon, they were dancing; with every swing of the man's sword being met with a swing of hers, _fear cuts deeper than swords_. Their swords clanged together. He could see he was not doing well, so he changed course and swung in the opposite direction, toward her head. Arya was much too fast for him though as she ducked quickly and spun behind him, slashing the sword through his middle. And with that, the man stumbled and began coughing up blood. As he fell down he said, "Who are you?"

Arya smiled, "No one" she said as she pierced his heart with the tip of her sword, leaving him to die on the floor, " _Valar morghulis_ " she whispered again. She turned to see Gendry trying to regain his balance. When he met her gaze, his eyes were wide and full of curiosity and questioning. They broke their gaze when they heard Willow scream and call out for them. Gendry and Arya turned quickly to see the other man, who they had forgotten about, dragging Willow with him outside towards his horse. The sight sent Gendry running after the man on his one good leg. Gendry was far too slow though, so Arya ran past him, _quick as a cat_ she thought.

Willow was putting up a good fight against the man as he tried to position her atop his horse. She was wiggling around and as his hand went to lift her, Willow bit down hard, "Fucking cunt!" the man screamed. Arya laughed at the idiotic man and moved closer, quickly stabbing the man hard in back of his leg. He screamed again and slashed his sword through the air. Willow took this opportunity to hop down from the horse and kick the man hard in the groin. He fell to his side, dropping his sword, and Arya looked to Willow and held her sword out to her, to allow Willow to kill the man. Willow took the sword and began to lift it above her. Gendry stumbled into the scene then yelling, "No!" as he pushed Willow out of the way and brought his hammer down with all his strength, crushing the man's skull.

Arya turned to Gendry, confused and irritated, but he was staring at Willow who looked sad and distraught. He put a hand on her shoulder, "You shouldn' be part of things like this." Tears came to Willows eyes when she met Gendry's gaze, and then she took off towards the Inn, yelling for her sister and the children. Arya just stood there with Gendry not quite sure what to say. He sat down in the grass, no longer being able to stand and looked her over in awe, "Who are you?"

Draining emotion from her face, she responded, "No one."

Gendry let out a huff, "Well No one, you got a nice cut on yer side there" he said pointing to a large red stain on her tunic. She hadn't even realized, not even sure when she got cut. She laughed at the sorry state she was in, and began to feel light headed. The last thing Arya saw was Gendry looking as confused as ever, as she fell deep into the darkness.


	14. Chapter 14: Gendry

_**A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay, but here is the next chapter...hope you enjoy it! Thanks for reading and commenting! Your comments really motivate me to keep writing! :) Only two more chapters (I hope) until Gendry finds out that Nym is Arya...very exciting!**_

Gendry woke up to very loud complaining in the background. He had no idea how long he'd been asleep for. The last thing he remembers is telling Nym that she had obtained a nice gash in her side. She had laughed at the sight, like no woman he'd ever seen, and then proceeded to pass out. He remembers laughing to himself at the strange girl, who for no reason at all, had saved all of their lives. He must have passed out shortly after that from the deep cut in his thigh. And here he was now, some days later he guessed, finally waking up in a small cot in the store room off of the kitchen. Gendry remained still for a few moments, slowly allowing his eyes to open, to take in the scene around him.

"Oi! I don't need no milk of the poppy! Tis but a scratch."

"You must calm down Nym", Jeyne said in a soothing voice. Gendry turned to look and let a smile appear on his face as he saw Nym desperately fighting to get out of the cot, in which Jeyne and Willow were restraining her in.

Nym stopped struggling for a second, only to spit out, "Seven hells! I've been in this cot for too damn long!" Gendry let out a laugh at the girl as she reminded him of Arya. Apparently his laugh had been louder than he thought, as all three girls turned to look at him.

Willows eyes widened as she let go of Nym and ran over to hug Gendry, "Gendry! Finally! We've been waiting for you to wake up." Gendry smiled at her and returned her hug.

He looked over at the other two, Jeyne looked quite distraught, and he swears he heard Nym say under her breath, "Well maybe if you didn't drown us in milk of the poppy." Jeyne must've heard too and she looked at Nym, who had finally settled down, and let out a sigh.

Gendry turned back to Willow, "Well, how long have I been out?"

She backed up from the hug and stood beside her sister, "Two days."

"Two days? Are the children alright? Where's the Brotherhood?"

Jeyne gave him a sad look and then left the room, leaving Willow to fill him in, "The children are fine, and the Brotherhood didn't return until yesterday. Some of them are around, although a lot of them are at the Peach" Willow shook her head, "Enjoying some pleasures I imagine." Nym let out a huff behind them.

Gendry ignored Nym and asked Willow, "How are you and Jeyne?"

Willow shot him a small smile, "I'm fine thanks to Nym here" she pointed at Nym who turned her back to them, as if bored with the conversation, "And Jeyne is recovering. It was hard for her, seeing you like that." Gendry turned to Nym again, as she very quietly said in a gruff voice, "Women."

Gendry couldn't believe this Nym girl, she was ruthless. In the few days she had been at the Inn, he thought her to be a simple, shy girl, and yet she had saved all of their lives and laughed at the sight of her own blood. Turning his attention back to Willow, he asked, "Why aren't I in the forge?"

Willow shook her head at him, "Well it was hard enough carrying ya in here, and it's much easier for us to keep an eye on you two in here."

Gendry nodded, and Jeyne came back into the room with fresh bandages and Willow left them. Jeyne came over to him and moved his covers. Gendry blushed as Jeyne moved her hands over his thigh to remove the current bandage that was covered in blood. He looked away, anywhere but where her hands were touching him in an uncomfortable manner. His gaze was caught by Nym's who had turned back over and was staring at them. She was glaring at him and Gendry couldn't imagine why. Desperately seeking the solitude of the forge now, he turned his gaze to awkwardly stare at the ceiling, as Jeyne finished her work.

A few moments later, Jeyne had removed her hands and replaced the covers. Gendry quickly sat up and thanked her as she left the room. Knowing that Gendry could not yet put weight on his one leg, he just sat in bed, not sure what to do with himself. He looked over at the curious creature he was currently sharing a storage room with, "How's your cut?"

She sat up in her bed and looked him over curiously, "Tis but a scratch, I've had much worse." From what he'd seen of her fighting skills, he could imagine she was right.

Not knowing what else to say, he said, "Well I should thank you, for saving us."

Nym laughed, "Tis nothing. I've never liked the Goldcloaks anyways." Gendry could sense there was a deeper story there, but didn't want to upset her by asking.

"So you're from around here?"

Nym snorted, "I came from across the Narrow Seas." This made sense to Gendry, her skin was very tanned, and it also explained her strange fighting skills.

"Is that where you learned to fight so well?"

Nym averted her gaze, "Yes."

Gendry was about to ask more questions, when he was interrupted by Ned Dayne entering the room. Ned sent a glance to Nym and the looked away, embarrassed for staring at her sorry state, "My apologies for interrupting."

Nym looked like she couldn't have cared less, "Nothing to interrupt _Ser_."

Ned gave her a smile and then looked to Gendry, "How are you recovering?"

Gendry laughed, "Slowly."

Ned laughed with him, "Well I'm just glad no one got severely hurt. I can't believe they came so shortly after us departing, how unlucky."

Nym snorted, "Yes, unlucky."

Ned gave her a strange look before responding, "Anyways milady, once you are better, we could go for that ride."

Nym changed her facial expression at the mention of riding, "I'd like that Ser, I'm anxious to explore the land."

Ned smiled at her, "I imagine you'll be glad to explore anywhere that isn't this room."

Nym huffed and nodded in response. Gendry let out a small laugh at their strange conversation, which caused Ned to return his attention to Gendry, "We are only back for a few days before we depart again."

Gendry grunted, "Aye. So how it the Lady Stoneheart?"

Nym interrupted as Ned was about to retort, "Who is this Lady Stoneheart? Is that who you follow?" she paused and thought for a moment, "I had heard that the Brotherhood without Banners was under the leadership of Lord Beric."

Gendry shook his head in confusion, _she really isn't from around here then!_ Ned looked at her with a sad expression and answered, "We have not been under the leadership of Lord Beric for quite some time milady" he paused, taking a seat in the corner, "I squired for Lord Beric for a while and knew him quite well. He was a great man, which is probably why he gave his life for another."

Gendry snorted at this, thinking that Lord Beric had been brought back so many times, he was barely capable of giving life to anyone else. He narrowed his gaze at Ned, "You can barely call it a life."

Ned decided to ignore Gendry's comment and looked back to Nym, "He gave his life to bring back someone who had passed."

"Who?"

"Well we call her Lady Stoneheart now, as she is no longer really who she used to be."

Nym gave him an annoyed look, "So who was she?"

Ned looked to Gendry then, as if asking for his approval, so Gendry just nodded. This girl had saved his life so he thought she a least deserved to know what and who exactly surrounded her. Ned took a deep breath before continuing, "When the Lady was truly alive she was known as Lady Catelyn Stark."

Nym sucked in a breath, shocked, "But she died at the Red Wedding."

Gendry sighed and replied, "Aye she did. Three days passed before we found her in the river. The Lord Beric decided that she should live" he paused, "She was already a rotting corpse though. It ain't right if you ask me. The poor Lady deserved some peace."

Nym met his gaze as he spoke, looking sad but offering him a small smile. She was looking directly at him, dark eyes baring into his soul when she spoke next, "So you were at the Red Wedding?"

Gendry raised his eyebrow at her, confused as to why she was so interested. Not wanting to tell her too much he simply responded, "Aye, right after it happened. We were looking for someone." He looked away from her then, thinking of Arya, and remembering the time when he had first heard about the Red Wedding. It was right after Arya disappeared, when he had tried to follow her, calling out to her in the pouring rain, regretting what he had said about wanting to stay with the Brotherhood. _She had to know_ he thought, she had to know that he had wanted to stay with her, but it wouldn't have been right.

Gendry thought back to the day they had reached the Twins, and he had been flipping over corpses so fast, looking for Arya, but hoping and praying not to find her. The men thought he was crazy, but he had to know, he had to find her. He never did. They had let him have almost two days of searching, two days of crying out in madness at the concept of losing her. She had been the only family he had ever truly known, he should have protected her. Almost two days of searching before the Brotherhood dragged him away, and they made their way towards Riverrun, killing every Frey they encountered. Two days, when they had stood at the edge of the river, watching the bodies float along. Two days before the men pulled out the naked, rotting corpse of the Lady Stark, where Lord Beric then gave his life for hers.

Gendry shook his head at his sad thoughts and looked up in the silence to see that Nym was still looking at him, studying him. Ned was talking in the background, but it seemed that neither Gendry nor Nym were paying any attention to what he was saying, both lost in deep thought. A few moments later, Ned rose from his seat and walked to the door, saying that he should leave them to their rest. Gendry barely heard the door close before he sunk back down in his cot and fell into another deep sleep, this time, filled with the nightmares of his past.


	15. Chapter 15: Arya

_**A/N: Hi everyone! Hope you enjoy this next one...I know it is quite long, but I hope the ending makes up for it! I already have to next one half written, so I will try and post it soon, as I know this one leaves off on a cliffhanger. Anyways, thanks for reading! And please comment...I love reading them! :)**_

The last few days had been an absolute torment. Jeyne and Willow were insistent that Arya remain in the cot until she was better. The gash on her side was quite large, and she did feel pain when she bent over, or stretched, but she was itching to get out of that room. She had yet another wolf dream the previous night, where she was Nymeria, hunting for game at the head of her pack, howling deep into the night. The thought brought a smile to Arya's face as she began to rise from the cot. Her smile faded quickly as she looked over at the big lug in the adjacent cot, who was snoring something fierce.

Arya still could not believe that Gendry was even here, in front of her. He really hadn't changed much. He still hardly ever spoke, and was always very passive in his answers. He seemed alright here though, at the Crossroads Inn. Talking to Willow earlier, once Gendry had fallen asleep, Arya had learned that he does a good job of taking care of the orphans. Willow had even mentioned that Gendry said he felt obligated to help them as he had failed to do so with an orphan boy he had known, _Arry._

Arya had a hard time wrapping her head around this. She was surprised that he even thought about her at all, let alone feel an obligation to the orphan children because of her. No matter how annoyed Arya was at Gendry for leaving her, all that time ago, she was glad he had found a good place to be.

Not only had Arya learned more about Gendry while being stuck in the storage room, she had also learned more about the Brotherhood. Whenever Ned had come to check on them, or to just offer polite conversation, she always grilled him for information on Lady Stoneheart. Gendry seemed irritated whenever the name was mentioned, but Arya didn't care, she needed to learn more about her mother.

When Arya first found out about her mother, she was shocked and happy with the thought that she would be able to see her again. But as Ned and Gendry described her, Arya grew weary. It was hard for her imagine her mother as a cold and bitter being, thirsty for stains of red going by the name Frey or Lannister. While Arya could clearly comprehend her mother's vengeance, she still couldn't picture her mother that way. Arya was still very curious about the Lady Stoneheart though, and the possibility of seeing her.

Arya was drawn from her thoughts as Jeyne entered the room. She looked over at Gendry and then went to Arya's side. "How's your cut?" she asked while lifting Arya's tunic to take a better look.

Arya didn't even let herself wince this time as Jeyne touched it, "Tis fine. I think I'm ready to be rid of this cot."

Jeyne narrowed her gaze at her, poured some liquid over the cut and bandaged it back up. "I think you're right. Although I will not hear of you doing any work around here. You need to rest" she paused and tilted her head to the small window, where they could see Ned and Thoros sparring in the yard, "This sorry lot will just have help." Jeyne smiled at Arya as she stood to leave the room, "Just let me know if you need anything, I'll want to take another look at that soon."

Arya nodded, "Thank you, I will."

Jeyne sent her a sad, tearful smile and she turned to leave, "No, thank you."

* * *

After Jeyne had left her, Arya decided it was time to get up. She took her time, but found that the pain really wasn't that bad at all. She made her way up the stairs and into her room. Her bed had been neatly made, and on top of it laid a freshly clean tunic and breeches. Arya was not sure where they had come from, but she was quite glad to be given clean clothes.

Once Arya had checked that her belongings were still safely tucked away, she grabbed the tunic and breeches and went across the hall to bathe. She secured the door, and immediately removed her face. It felt so nice to have a break from it. She slowly removed the rest of her clothes and took a look in the mirror. The cut on her side was quite deep, although it was beginning to heal. With all the other scars surrounding her torso, Arya was surprised that Jeyne hadn't asked her about them when she had been tending for Arya's wound.

Arya quickly made herself up a bath, and then jumped in, letting the warm water surround her. She was careful not to get too much near her wound as she washed the dirt off of her skin and out from her hair. When she was all finished, she rose from the bath, put on her face, and quickly dressed in her new clothes before heading back to her room. Her door was open, and she saw Willow inside.

Willow turned to Arya when she moved into the room, "I had heard you were feeling better." She said as she drew Arya's two small blades from the front of her apron and handed them over to her, "I thought you might like these back" she smiled, "I cleaned them and sharpened them a bit for you."

Arya took them from her hands, "Thank you, and thank you for the fresh clothes."

"No problem at all, between the children and the men, we have plenty of extras." Willow smiled again and then left the room, heading down the stairs.

* * *

The next few days passed quickly, as Arya became reacquainted with the Brotherhood. It seems that Willow had felt obligated to tell all of them exactly what had happened when the three Goldcloaks payed them a visit. Arya didn't mind though, as most of them now respected her and even asked her to join in when they sparred. Since her cut was already on its way to becoming healed, she did not hesitate to practice.

They did comment on her strange fighting skills though. Even Gendry, who was also healing quite well, and now working back in the forge, would come out and watch her spar. Arya thought that maybe she should be a little worried about Gendry figuring out who she is, but then again, he never saw her fight at this skill level before, _and he isn't very smart_ she thought with a smile.

After sparring with Harwin, and clearly beating him, Arya took a break to take her new sword (from one of the Goldcloaks she had killed) into the forge. When Arya opened the door and the heat hit her face, she felt a rush of memories fill her. Memories of watching Mikken, and then Gendry work away for hours creating masterpiece swords and armour out of uncarved, discarded metal. Arya shook her head at her memories and continued her way into the forge. Gendry was working away, molding a breastplate, with the rhythmic ping of every hit lulling her into a trance.

Gendry, surprisingly noticed her presence causing her to break from her trance, as he put his hammer down to greet her, "Nym."

Arya smirked, "Gendry."

They stared at each other for a few moments before he decided to fill in the silence, "Anything I can help you with?"

Arya shook her head to remind herself of why she was even there, "Ah, yes" she pulled the sword out from behind her back and handed it to him, "I was wondering if you could possibly forge this into something a little smaller, easier to handle."

Gendry took the sword in his hand, looked it over and then glanced at her, "That's easy enough. I can probably have this done by dinner."

Arya smiled at him, "Great, I shall leave you to your work."

Arya turned to leave when he spoke again, "Nym?"

She turned back to face him, "Yes."

He remained silent for a moment, as if contemplating if he should even speak, and then said, "What do you call that way that you fight?" he paused, "It's not like how people fight here."

She smiled at him, wondering if she simply intrigued him, or if he recognised the way that she fought. Arya turned to leave the forge and responded, "Water dancing." She glanced over her shoulder at him before closing the door to forge, only to see the look of confusion wash over his face. As Arya made her way across the yard and back into the Inn, she laughed at him, _stupid Bull,_ she thought.

* * *

Once Arya had dropped off her sword for Gendry to fix, she had gone on a ride with Ned, exploring the nearby forest. It was absolutely stunning, and it had been so long since Arya had felt so wild and carefree. Ned seemed to think her quite strange, the way she took off into the woods and then jumped into the river fully clothed and splashed around, but she hadn't felt so much like herself in such a long time. She relished the feeling of being free.

While stopped at the river for a quick dip in the water, Arya had asked Ned about the wolves, and if he had heard them recently. He said that they had sounded quite close to Riverrun the last time he heard them. Arya smiled at this, she was so close to Nymeria.

After a wonderful afternoon, Arya and Ned returned to the Inn and went straight to the tavern to have some dinner. When they entered the Inn, dinner was well underway with Tom playing a tune in the corner, and the rest of the Brotherhood already half drunk. Arya sat down beside Harwin, and Ned sat across from her.

Gendry came in shortly after with her sword. She hopped up from her seat and went over to him. He sent her a small smile and held the sword out for her. Arya quickly took it in her hand and tossed it to the other hand, feeling the weight of it. The sword was perfect. Arya looked up to meet his gaze, "Thank you. What do I owe you?"

He shook his head in confusion, "Nothing" he paused, "If anything it is I that still owes you."

She smirked at him, shook her head and then turned to take her seat back at the table, placing the sword at her hip. Gendry joined their table, making Ned scoot over to make room. He said nothing the entire time he ate, and neither did Arya. She was much more interested in just listening to their conversation.

Arya had lost track of the conversation though when she all of the sudden heard Harwin mention her sister, "…and Brienne said that Lady Sansa should be about ready to pop any day now." The name Brienne sounded vaguely familiar to her, but she couldn't place it. And of course she had heard that Sansa was with child, but hadn't imagined her to be so far along!

Without thinking, Arya spit out, "So the Vale may have an heir?"

All of them turned to look at her, surprised that she was even interested. Harwin looked her over a replied, "Yes well one can only hope. The Lady has been through far too much, she deserves some piece of mind."

Arya simply nodded and went back to staring at her plate, barely listening to the conversation. She was thinking of her sister, and what it would be like to see her again. Would Sansa even recognize her? And if she did, would she be happy to see her? Sensing a pair of eyes on her, she looked up to find Gendry's blue eyes studying her. Not wanting to be interrogated, Arya quickly averted her gaze and stood to leave, claiming she was tired. No one seemed to notice her as she walked up the stairs, although she was certain that if she glanced back, she would find Gendry staring after her.

When she reached her room, Arya removed her sword from her hip and placed it on the nightstand. She then removed her face, and removed everything else except for her smallclothes. She climbed into her bed and listened to her surroundings. Outside she could hear the whistling sound of the wind, while downstairs she could hear Tom singing sweet tunes, and the men laughing together. After a while, the sound from downstairs became quiet, and after Arya recited the remaining names on her list, she fell into a deep sleep filled with wolf dreams.

* * *

 _Nymeria is howling with her pack, calling out to her master in warning. She is on her way. The pack sprints together through the forest, not stopping for anything. They reach the small building first and Nymeria easily picks up the scent of her master. She howls to her pack to let them know they are close, as she makes her way closer to the bigger building, with her pack howling back in response…_

Arya is dragged from her happy slumber by Willow banging on her door, "Nym wake up! Wake up!" _Bang, bang bang,_ "We must hide! The wolves are attacking!"

At that, Arya bolted out of bed and quickly put on her tunic and breeches. She then pulled up the loose floor board and put the helm and Needle in her bag. She secured her two small blades under her clothing and then put her sword to her hip. Filled with joyous energy now, Arya ripped open her door and rushed into the hall where she was run over by children, followed by Jeyne directing everyone, telling them to go to a shelter of some kind.

Jeyne was too busy to notice her, so Arya slipped out behind the children and went down the back staircase. There, she went through the kitchen and promptly exited the Inn. The wolves were close, but were not yet surrounding the Inn. On Arya's left, she saw the last of the children entering the shelter, with Gendry holding the door open for them, hammer in hand. In the near distance, Arya saw a large wolf entering the clearing through the fog, at the head of the large pack, with familiar yellow eyes.

Without a moment's hesitation, Arya took off running to the sound of Nymeria whining. Behind her, she thought she heard someone calling out for her to come back, but she didn't listen. She ran directly at her large direwolf, dropping her possessions behind her. When she reached Nymeria, Arya dropped to her knees and hugged her. Nymeria whined and licked her. Soon Arya was laughing as her and Nymeria rolled around on the cold grass. Arya could not believe she had finally found her! _Nymeria!_

Arya stopped laughing when Nymeria let out a small growl and quickly moved to stand in front of her, protecting her. Arya quickly jumped up from her position on the ground and gazed through the fog to find their intruder. Twenty feet away stood Gendry, all confused and calling out for Nym. Shocked that he had come after her, Arya quickly lifted her hand to touch her face, realizing that in all the haste, she had forgotten to put her disguise back on. Not knowing what to do, Arya just remained standing behind Nymeria, silently watching Gendry.

He must've not been able to see her through the fog, so he began looking around. He quickly spotted where she had tossed her belongings and went over to them. He opened the bag and pulled out the helm and Needle. Confusion washed over his face, as he rubbed his hands over the helm. Angrily, he lifted the helm above his head and shouted into the fog, towards Arya, "Where did you get these?"

Not wanting to feel like a coward, Arya slowly made her way in front of Nymeria who had stopped growling, and began to move through the thick fog as she said, "The sword is mine, and the helm belonged to someone I knew long ago."

Gendry looked desperately into the fog, searching for the source of her voice. Arya took one more step through the fog and allowed Gendry's eyes to find her. He sucked in a breath in shock as he fell to his knees, dropping the helm and Needle in front of him. With his blue eyes boring into hers, and desperation covering his face, he whispered her name, " _Arya?"_


	16. Chapter 16: Gendry

" _Arya?_ " he breathed, not even sure he had said her name out loud. Gendry could not believe she was standing before him. She had changed somewhat; grown into some of her facial features, and let her hair grow long. The girl he had known, who he'd teased and fought with was now a woman grown, and a more beautiful woman then he could have ever imagined. Not beautiful in the conventional sense, but beautiful in the way that she emerged from the fog with her hair blowing wildly in tune with the wind. Beautiful the way her eyes were as grey as ever, and boring into his soul as she just stared at him.

She didn't respond to his question of who she was, not that she had to, because he knew it was her. Gendry was so filled with happiness in seeing her alive and realizing it wasn't a dream that he stood up and slowly made his way over to her. The wolf, the one that Gendry had been seeing everywhere, stood behind them, watching, but making no move to attack. So Gendry kept moving towards Arya, each step taking a moment to relish in the current situation. When he was within arm's reach, he lifted his arms from his sides and wrapped them around her, "I thought you were dead."

Arya made no response, and did not move a muscle to reciprocate his hug. After an awkward moment, he leaned back and looked at her face. He could find no emotion there. He was confused, especially when she began pushing him away. She shoved him twice in the chest before hitting him hard enough to knock him to the ground. Gendry fell onto the grass, in confusion. He quickly jumped back up to a standing position, this time keeping his distance from her, "Don't you remember me?"

Arya snarled in response, "I remember you being part of my pack, and then deciding to leave me."

Gendry widened his eyes, shocked. He didn't know what to say to her. It was true he had decided to stay with the Brotherhood, but he regretted that decision, and wished that he could have gone with her, or just protected her, because really, she had left him too. He didn't say any of this however, because he was an idiot. Instead he just stared at her in desperation, pleading for forgiveness with his eyes. Dumbfounded, he just stood there, watching her as she moved past him to pick up her belongings. She put the little sword to her hip, _Needle_ he thought it was called, she left the helm in its place on the ground and began to move back towards her wolf.

"Where are you going?" he asked without thinking.

Arya glared at him over her shoulder and responded, "Away. I have a family to get back to."

He frowned at her, and walked towards her pleading, "Wait. Stay."

She didn't say anything else as she hopped onto the great wolf's back, shot him one last look and took off into the night, disappearing among the fog and the forest, with him yelling after her.

* * *

She left him. Again. Gendry could not believe his luck, for she had come back into his life mere seconds before leaving it again. He hadn't even had time to truly take in her presence, all of her features and the ways that she had changed, or the ways she remained ever the same. He called after her for a while, not even trying to run after her as he knew he would never catch her. He didn't know what to do with himself, so he just stood there, looking deep into the fog that had taken her away from him.

He didn't care that everyone could hear him, nor did he feel anything as Lem and Thoros pulled him away from the cold abyss and back into the Inn. Some of the Brotherhood were laughing at him as Lem got Gendry to take a seat, with the shock of seeing Arya still fresh on his face. Lem leaned down toward him, with a look of concern on his face, "What happened lad? Where's Nym?"

All Gendry could do was shake his head. The members of the Brotherhood that had been laughing went quiet then, concerned and interested for their friend. Gendry raised his head to look Lem in the eye and slowly gained confidence enough in his voice to speak, "Nym doesn't exist."

Lem huffed, "What're talking 'bout lad?"

Gendry frowned, "Nym was just a disguise. She was somehow able to change her face. Tricked us into thinking she was someone else."

Thoros moved closer to him and raised his brow, "Who tricked us?"

Gendry swallowed hard before he responded, "Arya."

The Inn was filled with silence now as most of the Brotherhood now appeared quite shocked. No one said anything at all until Ned Dayne pushed his way through the men and looked down at Gendry, "Lady Arya was Nym?" Gendry nodded and Ned's eyes widened, "How could she have survived all these years?"

Gendry shrugged because he really didn't know, all he knew was how strong and stubborn she was. Beside him, Thoros let out a laugh, "If anyone can survive on their own, it's the little Lady. I ain't never met anyone as determined as her." The men nodded in agreement. Thoros then put a hand on Gendry's shoulder, "But are you sure it was her?"

Gendry felt his cheeks flush as he pictured her standing there in the fog, "Yes I'm sure."

After another moment of silence, Ned decided to speak up again, "But if it is the Lady Arya, where is she? She knows we would never harm her."

Gendry shook his head, annoyed at the ever ignorant Ned Dayne. "She left, hopped on her wolf and took off."

Ned leaned back, astonished, "A wolf? You've gone mad man!"

"Leave him alone" Lem said as he shoved Ned out of the way and then returned his attention to Gendry, "Now tell us the whole story lad."

With all eyes on him, Gendry thought that he had never felt so uncomfortable. He took a deep breath and then began telling them what had happened when the wolves attacked, and how he had tried to follow Nym after securing the children in the shelter. He did not tell them exactly what she said, as he felt too ashamed, and wasn't even sure that he understood it himself. All he said was that she had things to take care of, and then she left. When he finished his tale, the men just gawked at him. In the corner of the room, he saw Jeyne and Willow. He hadn't noticed them before, but they must've heard the whole story. When their gazes met, he and Willow exchanged sad smiles. Jeyne on the other hand, looked rather upset. And when he met her gaze, she turned her back to him and disappeared into the kitchen.

Gendry did not understand why she was so upset, but he was drawn from his thoughts as Harwin came up to him, "The wolf must've been her direwolf."

Thoros huffed, "Well that wolf is huge! And the head of a giant pack no less." Thoros squeezed his shoulder and leaned in to speak quietly to Gendry so that no one else heard, "She'll have lots of protection, so there's no need to do anything hasty." With the last few words he raised his brow at Gendry.

Gendry quickly looked to his feet. He hadn't yet thought about what he was going to do, but he was not going to lose her again. Irritated with the interrogation, Gendry stood up and plucked Thoros' hand from his shoulder. He shook his head at the man, and then pushed through the crowd of men, desperately seeking the forge. Nobody followed him as he made his way there. Once in the forge, Gendry lit the fire and got straight to work, treating every strike of his hammer as if it were a strike to himself for letting Arya get away.

Gendry worked straight into the night knowing that sleep would never come to him. When the first light had finally arrived, he lifted his gaze from the anvil and saw Willow and Anguy heading towards the forge. Gendry put down his hammer when Willow entered, a sad look on her face as Anguy stood outside. They stood looking at each other for a few moments before she decided to break the silence, "You're gonna go after her aren't you?"

Gendry frowned as he looked to his feet. He cared for Willow, and Jeyne, and had even come to care for the children, but he wanted to find her, had to find her and help her. Not having the courage to look Willow in the eye, he simply nodded. Willow sighed in front of him, and then unexpectedly rushed over to hug him, "I thought so" she squeezed, "I'm going to miss you" she whispered as she let out a soft cry.

Gendry held her tight, "I'm going to miss you too."

She nodded into his shoulder and then leaned back and raised her eyebrow at him, "You have to say goodbye to Jeyne" she sniffled, "But maybe not the Brotherhood, they would probably make you stay."

Gendry shook his head and smiled at her. His gaze left hers when he heard Anguy clear his throat in the doorway. Gendry let go of Willow and walked over to him, "You here to try and make me stay?"

Anguy laughed, "No, I think the little she-wolf could use a friend" he paused, "Specially if she comes across Lady Stoneheart."

Gendry nodded and then looked back at Willow, but she only had eyes for Anguy. Gendry scrunched his eyebrows. Willow had brought Anguy along for support. Gendry wondered how far their friendship went, and maybe if it was actually something more. He looked back and forth between the two, who were only staring at each other. Gendry rolled his eyes at how oblivious he had been.

He moved forward to put his hand on Anguy's shoulder, "Can I trust you to look after this place?"

Anguy looked at him and huffed, "Of course you can. I'll watch out for the ladies and children." As he said that last part, he looked past Gendry's shoulder at Willow and winked at her.

Gendry laughed, "Alright then. I'll say goodbye to Jeyne, and then I'd best be on my way before the rest of the Brotherhood wakes up." They both nodded again and as he went to leave, Willow crept up behind him and gave him another hug.

"We'll get a horse ready for you, and pack you a bag" she paused, watching him, "Just don't forget a sword and a hammer, I'm sure you'll need it."

Gendry nodded and smiled at her as her and Anguy left to go to the stables. Gendry then turned to the Inn and made his way over to say goodbye to Jeyne. Jeyne looked busy getting breakfast ready when he entered. She barely acknowledged his presence and just continued to work. Not sure how to go about this, Gendry remained standing in the corner and cleared his throat.

She turned to face him and snarled, "Come to say goodbye have you?" she shook her head at the confused and stupid look on his face, "I don't understand why you're going after her. You have duties here" she paused and sighed, "Besides, it doesn't even seem like she wants you around anyways."

Gendry shrugged his shoulders and made his way over to her and put his hands on her arms, "I'm not sure if she ever wants anyone around, but I know she'll need a friend."

Jeyne looked into his eyes and broke down sobbing in his arms. He hugged her and told her he was sorry, for he did not know what else to say. Through her teary eyes, Jeyne looked at him and asked, "Will you come back and visit us when it's all over?"

Gendry sighed as he gazed at her sad expression, not knowing if it would ever be over. Instead of saying this, he sent her a reassuring smile and promised that he would try. With one last apology whispered in her hair, he let Jeyne go and left the Inn without another look back.

He quickly made his way over to the stables where Willow and Anguy were waiting for him with a saddled horse. Anguy smiled at him as he handed over the reins, "Do you think you'll be able to find her?"

Gendry had thought about this a lot the previous night and knew that he should be able to find her easily enough. He nodded and Anguy and said, "She wants to be with family."

Anguy nodded, patted Gendry on the shoulder, and then walked away, leaving Gendry alone with Willow. Willow had just finished attaching a bag to the saddle when she turned to him, "I've packed ya some food and a change of clothes." She smiled at him, tears filling her eyes. She leaned over to the table and grabbed the helm he had made all those years ago and handed it to him, "She wanted you to have it."

Gendry thanked her and took the helm in his hands, looking over his piece of work that he had once been so proud of. Since he had lost this helm, he had made plenty others for the Brotherhood that were much better than this. Not wanting to recount the memories with the helm, Gendry shook his head and handed the helm back over to Willow, "No. You have it" he said as he mussed her hair and grinned at her, "You can use it in battle."

Willow took the helm and beamed at him, "Thank you." She put the helm back on the table and gave him one last hug, "Best be on your way now." Gendry nodded and gave her one last hug before letting her go and climbing atop his horse. Once settled on the horse, he looked down at Willow who had tears in her eyes, "Goodbye Gendry."

He sent her a sad smile, "Goodbye Willow." Not able to look at her anymore without wanting to stay, Gendry gave his horse a good kick and they took off, galloping into the forest with every hoof beat bringing him one step closer to Arya.

 _ **A/N: Hope you enjoyed that chapter, as I really enjoyed writing it! Let me know what you think! I have quite a busy week or so with school, but I'm hopefully gonna get back to writing on the weekend. Thanks for reading! :)**_


	17. Chapter 17: Arya

_**A/N: Okay, so first off I just want to apologize for my recent hiatus...school has been absolutely insane and I have been having major writer's block (so I apologize again if this chapter isn't up to par!). But I hope you enjoy this chapter anyways! I was thinking of writing the next chapter from Sansa's perspective...thoughts? suggestions? Please comment and let me know! Thanks for reading! :)**_

" _Arya?"_ , how stupid the bull had been to not realize it was her. It was like he had never known her at all. He had just stood there, completely shocked that she was alive, of course she was still alive. Did he think that she couldn't survive on her own? Arya huffed at her thoughts as she stared into the darkness before her. She had been surprised that Nymeria had let her ride the great she-wolf, but they hadn't really had any other options. Arya was just glad to get as far away from the Inn as possible before first light, when the Brotherhood might come looking for her. Shaking her head in annoyance, Arya tightened her grip on the wolf's mane as they flew through the trees with the whole pack behind them, just like in her dreams.

When morning came, and they were deep within the forest, Nymeria came to an abrupt halt after communicating with her pack. Arya slid off of Nymeria's back and then followed the pack over to the stream where they were drinking. Arya took a few sips, quenching her dry lips, and then splashed water on her face, pausing to look at her reflection. With the sun slowly rising over the trees, adding light to the reflection, Arya looked wild. She hadn't thought to put her hair up, so now it was wavy. Her skin looked like dirty porcelain in the water, and Arya hated it; hated the fact that for a moment after she washed the dirt from her face she considered herself pretty. _Something only stupid girls fret about,_ she thought as she dunked her head in the water, washing her face and hair, trying not to think of a reflection that was so foreign to her.

Once she had gotten most of the dirt from her hair, Arya walked towards a large tree, and sat down, leaning against its stump. Nymeria came over to join her, and laid down beside her, head on her lap as Arya braided her hair. With her hair now free from her face, Arya reached down and stroked Nymeria. She still couldn't believe that she had found her, or that she was the alpha of the pack. Arya looked up towards the rest of the pack who were now all resting, with the exception of two wolves that sat, watching the endless sea of trees before them for any signs of intruders. She smiled at this, not having felt this protected in a long time. And with that, Arya let her eyes drift close, telling herself that it would just be for a moment.

When Arya woke several hours later, Nymeria was gone. Arya looked around frantically hoping to gaze upon the familiar yellow of her eyes, but couldn't find them. She counted the rest of the wolves surrounding her, and came up with the same number she had counted the previous night. Arya could only assume that Nymeria went hunting. Arya shrugged her shoulders and decided to take this opportunity to practice her water dancing. She drew Needle from her hip, and was quickly lost in the rhythm, silently repeating to herself, _fear cuts deeper than swords_.

When Arya finished her dance, she looked to the sky to see that the sun was almost directly above her, meaning that it was just past midday. Arya sighed, wishing Nymeria would hurry back as she wanted to get far away from the Inn and continue on her way to Sansa. Arya couldn't really explain why, but she felt anxious to see her sister, to make sure she was safe, and then bring her to reunite them with Rickon, and maybe even Jon.

Arya was drawn from her happy thoughts when she heard a noise behind her. She quickly whipped her head around, staring into the trees to locate the sound. The wolves remained as they were. Arya perked up her ears at the small sound of Nymeria's whimper. Arya could see her now, striding quickly towards her. When Nymeria crossed the small stream, she ran over to Arya, licked her hand and then stared off into the trees she had just emerged from.

Arya heard another sound then, and quickly raised her sword. Nymeria made no move to protect her, and neither did the pack, they just stared off into the woods. After hearing prominent footsteps coming closer, Arya raised her sword higher. It was then that she saw who the source of the noise had been. Gendry walked towards her, only stopping across the creek to tie up his horse. He had a sad look on slightly scared face as he walked past all the wolves, none of them even raising their heads at him.

Arya still held her sword up, sending a glare to Nymeria for leading him straight to them. When Gendry stood a few feet from her, Nymeria went over to him and rubbed her head against him. He smiled at the great direwolf and stroked her. Arya shook her head at the wolf and snarled, "Traitor."

Gendry looked at her, confused as she lowered her sword, "Me or your wolf?"

Arya glared at him, "Both." She put Needle back to her hip and watched as he continued to stroke Nymeria, "What are you doing here?"

He stopped stroking Nymeria and looked over to her, "I couldn't let you go off on your own."

Arya let out a laugh as she continued to glare at him, "In case you hadn't realised I can take care of myself."

"Doesn't mean you should have to" he said sadly. _Stupid bull,_ Arya thought, _just as stubborn as ever!_ He looked deep in thought before he said "I'd like to come with you."

Arya raised her brow at him, unsure of what to say, and just settling on "Why?"

He paused for a moment before offering her a small smile in reply, "To help you get back to your family. And then maybe I could smith for your brother."

Arya wasn't sure what to make of this, sure that he'd forgotten her long ago and yet not surprised that he remembered her offer all those years ago. She had only been an ignorant child then, much different from who she now was. "What makes you think the offer still stands?" she questioned, and then added, "A lot has changed since then, I have changed since then."

Gendry let out a sigh, "I've noticed." They stood in silence for a moment, looking each other over before Gendry spoke again, "Where have you been all this time?"

Arya narrowed her eyes at him, "I wasn't lying when I said I was across the Narrow seas."

Gendry rolled his eyes at her, "Oh that narrows it down" He said as he stroked Nymeria's ear.

Attempting to avoid the subject of her recent past, Arya went in a different direction and pointed to Nymeria, "She seems to like you" Arya huffed.

Gendry smiled at her, "Well I suppose so, seeing as she's been watching me for a while."

Arya shook her head in confusion, "What?"

"She's been visiting me recently" he paused, "The wolves like to hang around the Inn and I have often seen her, she even came up to me once outside of the forge a few fortnights ago" he said with a slight smile, "I should have realized she was your wolf."

Arya moved her gaze down to her wolf, confused, seeing as Gendry had just described her wolf dreams. Not wanting to relay this information to him, she simply shrugged her shoulders as if it was no big deal. She then looked around at the wolf pack, who were beginning to move out of their slumber, and decided it was time to go. Securing Needle to her hip, Arya walked over to Nymeria, "Time to get going girl. There are people I want to visit."

Gendry stood before her confused, "Wait, should I just follow you on my horse?"

Arya shook her head at him, as if she didn't give a care in the world, "Do whatever you want Gendry." That was the first time she had said his name aloud as herself, and she had to admit that it felt rather strange, reminding her of their days on the road. Collecting herself, Arya grabbed hold of Nymeria's mane and went to hop on her back when she felt Gendry's hand on her arm.

"Shouldn't we send ahead some warning to your sister that you are coming? They may not let us get past the gates."

Arya glared at him "Guards have never stopped me before" she paused, "I will get in just fine, as long as your stupid bull-head doesn't ruin it."

Gendry grinned at her, "Wouldn't dream of it mi'lady."

Arya shoved him hard the chest, pushing him to the ground before jumping on Nymeria's back and taking off into the woods with the wolf pack howling behind them. Arya refused to look back to see if he had followed her, she assumed he would. As she rode on into the trees, she thought that maybe Gendry's idea of writing to Sansa wasn't so stupid after all, not that she would ever admit that to him.


	18. Chapter 18: Sansa

_**A/N: Hey guys! Exams are upon us, so I just wanted to post this chapter before it all started. Not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I know that it will be a Gendry chapter :). Hope you enjoy reading from Sansa's perspective...there's probably more to come from her ;) Enjoy!**_

Sansa was oh so very tired. _This baby is draining me_ , she thought. She rolled over in her bed, shifting uncomfortably to face her Lord husband. He looked so peaceful as he slept, and so beautiful with his sandy blonde hair, disheveled and covering his stunning blue eyes. Sansa couldn't help but smile at him. After all she had been through, she had been lucky to find such a kind man to marry. Once the Little Lord Robyn had passed so many years ago, Harry became the new Lord of the Vale, and with Littlefinger pushing her to entice him, she had tried her best. It had worked out quite well, as she was easily able to make him fall in love with her, and forget about all those wenches he'd been bedding.

At first, she had just been doing as Littlefinger had told her to do, acting the ever dutiful bastard daughter, Alayne Stone, but soon after she revealed her true identity to Harry, she had realized that she cared for him. She cared for him more than she had been willing to admit, but eventually she trusted him. He had stood by her when Brienne came knocking on their door, wanting to protect her, spilling secrets about her Lady Mother. He had stood by her when she had heard of the bastard Bolton wedding her poor sister at Winterfell. And he stood by her once more when her supposed sister turned out to be an impostor. In time, she came to love Harry, and soon they were wed under the light of the Seven, and she became the Lady of the Vale.

It had been difficult at first, with all the women in the Vale glaring at her, envying her. Especially with all the rumours of Harry's bastard daughters. Sansa did not let them bother her though, she could not help Harry's past, and he seemed to be devoted to her now. Girls still remained jealous though, even after they were married. They would speak of Sansa in such brutal terms, that Mya had taken it upon herself to set them straight. Sansa always laughed at her protective friend, as she often reminded her of Arya, with her ill manners and endearing protectiveness.

Sansa was drawn from her thoughts as she heard a knocking on the door. "Come in" she said, as Harry shifted beside her, slowly waking up. Mya entered with fresh linens and a cup.

Sansa smiled at her and moved to try and sit up, but instantly felt pain in her abdomen as her child began kicking. She leaned back, with Harry supporting her, now fully awake, and putting his hand on her stomach, feeling the kick, "My son's got a mean kick" he laughed.

Sansa turned her head to smile up at him, "We don't know for certain it's a boy."

Harry frowned at her as Mya chipped in, "Better hope it's a boy with a kick like that."

Harry filled the room with laughter at Mya's comment, while Sansa pondered over the possibility of having a girl. Sansa quite wanted a girl, whom she could dress, style her hair and teach her how to sew. However, if this baby was a girl, Sansa feared that she might be a feisty one. Sansa wasn't sure that she was equipped to raise an Arya, they had never gotten along.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Sansa squeezed Harry's hand and looked to Mya, "What have you brought me?" she said, nodding to the glass.

"Some tea mi'lady, for comfort" she replied as she handed Sansa the cup.

Sansa took the cup in her hands and looked down at her very round stomach, "I don't think any tea could help comfort me" she said, but she drank it anyway.

Mya offered her a smile, as she moved to place the linens on the chest at the foot of the bed, "The maester would like to see you this morning, make sure everything is goin' alright."

Sansa nodded and began to rise from the bed with Harry and Mya's assistance. Once up, Harry called for Brienne, who was guarding their door, "Yes my Lord?" Brienne said as she bowed her head to him.

Harry walked over the Brienne and patted her on the shoulder, "Please escort my Lady wife to the maester, and then report to me any news."

Brienne nodded, "Yes my Lord."

As Brienne walked over to Sansa and took her arm, Mya on the other, she turned to Harry, "You're not coming with me?"

Harry smiled and leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead, "You know I'd love to darling, but I must meet with Lady Waynwood today."

"Why?" Sansa asked, raising her brow.

"Nothing to fret about darling." He replied with a smile, and gave her one last kiss on the cheek, before disappearing into the hall. Harry didn't normally keep secrets from her, so Sansa wondered what this meeting could possibly be about.

Not wanting to think on it any longer, Sansa turned to Brienne, "Let us be off then Brienne, must not keep the maester waiting any longer."

Brienne nodded, "Yes my Lady."

* * *

After seeing the maester, Sansa felt rather drained and decided to spend her day with Mya, watching her tend to the gardens, as Brienne leered behind them. With Mya deep into her work, Sansa called back to Brienne to join her on the bench, "How can I be of assistance my Lady?"

Sansa patted the seat beside her, and Brienne hesitated before sitting down, "Do you know what my husband is meeting about today?"

Brienne looked to the ground, as if unsure whether or not she should share. After a moment of silence, Brienne spoke, "We've had word from Ser Jaime that the Brotherhood without Banners are moving east, perhaps towards us."

Sansa inhaled sharply, "What? Why?" she paused, thinking, "Aren't these the men who almost killed you, run by the ghost of my Lady Mother?"

Brienne continued looking down, ashamed, "Yes my Lady."

"Well then why would Harry hide such things from me?"

Brienne finally looked at her then, "I think he just didn't want to worry you with a possible encounter with the Lady Stoneheart" she paused, the name sending chills down both their spines, "Especially with the baby arriving soon."

Sansa nodded, realizing that Brienne was probably right, Harry was always trying to protect her, especially since she is with child. Curious about the Brotherhood, Sansa pressed the matter further, "Tell me again Brienne how you came across them."

Brienne nodded and let out a deep sigh, "I had been sent by Jaime Lannister to find the missing Stark girls and protect them. Long ago I had heard rumors of the younger Stark girl – "

"- Arya" Sansa smiled, thinking of her sister.

"Yes. Arya" she paused, "There were rumors of Arya being seen with the band of outlaws, and then with the Hound in the Riverlands. Once I had heard, I immediately made my way there. Pod and I – my squire, were then ambushed by the Brotherhood, who were being led by Lady Stoneheart. The Lady was very angry that I was following orders of Ser Jaime, even though I tried to tell her that he was trying to save her daughters. The Lady did not believe a word and sentenced us both to die." Brienne hesitated to continue, so Sansa grabbed her hand, and asked her to please continue.

Brienne nodded, "We were to be hung, and it all happened so fast, a fight broke out, not that I can really remember much of what happened, but Pod was killed, the poor boy" she paused, attempting to regain strength in her voice, "I believed I was done for as well, when a man named Biter attacked me so brutally. But I was saved, saved by a young man, who was in allegiance with the Brotherhood."

Sansa nodded, "What happened after that?"

"They nursed me back to health, and said that the boy, Gendry was his name, had convinced them to let me live. Once better, I asked for news of Arya, and one boy, Ned Dayne, told me that she had traveled with them for a short while before being kidnapped by the Hound." Sansa swallowed hard at the thought of the Hound abducting Arya. "There was word that she had been at the Red Wedding, and then no word since" Brienne paused, looking into Sansa's eyes, "That was when I heard word of you, and that was when Ser Jaime brought me here, to protect you."

Sansa nodded, deep in thought, and then raised her brow, "Who are these Gendry and Dayne fellows?"

Brienne looked over to Mya at the mention of Gendry's name and then quickly looked back to her feet, "Both are members of the Brotherhood my Lady. Gendry smith's for them and takes care of orphan children."

Sansa nodded, intrigued, "And did either of these men know my sister?"

Sansa had never asked Brienne this before, and she could tell that Brienne was a little hesitant to answer, "Yes I believe they both did. Ned was always with the Brotherhood, but Gendry had been travelling with Arya before they encountered the Brotherhood. Ned Dayne told me all of this of course, and I attempted to ask Gendry what he knew of the lost Stark, but he just refused to answer."

Sansa nodded, thinking about this Gendry person, and wondering if he had been Arya's friend, or perhaps if he had hurt Arya. Either way, he had known her, and with Sansa's thoughts filled with Arya as of late, she wanted to know more. Knowing that Brienne had shared everything she knew, Sansa simply sighed, "Thank you Brienne."

"Of course my Lady."

Mya made her way back over to them, and announced that they should head back to Sansa's chambers to get her ready for supper. Sansa nodded and as Brienne assisted her to stand, Sansa felt a weird shift in her stomach, and suddenly began to crumble to the ground, her legs failing her, as she fell down into the puddle that was now at her feet, with Brienne trying to catch her.


	19. Chapter 19: Gendry

_**A/N: Hey guys! So exams are all over now, so I'm hoping to write on a more regular schedule...so look for another chapter soon! (It will either be from Sansa's or Arya's perspective). Also, just wanted to clear the air for those of you asking...this story is in no way about Sansa! Trust me, I don't like her either! I just want to include most of the characters into the story as they encounter Arya to explain where they are now. Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks a million for reading, and for all of your lovely comments! Oh and enjoy the season 6 premiere! Can't wait to watch it! :) 3**_

It had taken a long time for Gendry to catch up to Arya. Firstly, her wolf was damn fast, and secondly, his horse was scared shitless of the giant wolf pack following after her. Gendry eventually caught up though, and when he did, he found that the wolves were gone. He asked her why and she just rolled her eyes at him, "They need to hunt stupid".

Gendry nodded, with the mention of food reminding him of how hungry he was. He looked at Arya, "Are you hungry? Willow packed me some food." Arya didn't respond, so he just went to the horse, and grabbed two apples, and a wedge of cheese out of the saddlebag. He walked back over to where Arya was sitting by the river and handed her an apple and some cheese. She narrowed her eyes at him, but took the food anyways.

They ate in silence, and when Arya finished, she threw the apple core into the river, grabbed a rock beside her and began sharpening her blade. Sick of the silence, Gendry asked, "Are we going to stay at an Inn?"

Arya looked up from sharpening Needle and laughed at him, "And what would we do with the wolves _Ser_?"

Gendry grunted at her sarcastic tone, "Well, _mi'lady_ " she glared at him, "they are wolves, they will be fine. Besides, we don't have much food, and we should get you a horse."

"Why do I need a horse? I can ride Nymeria just fine."

"People talk, and soon it will be known that you are alive, people will come after you."

Arya's eyes go dark then, as if she's in another place, "Let them come."

Gendry rolled his eyes, _this woman is too brave for her own good_ , he thought. "If the Bolton's decide to march, that's 15 000 men against our 20 wolves."

It was her turn to roll her eyes at him, "Fine." She paused, thinking, "Tomorrow we should make it to Harroway's Town. We can stop there and get another horse."

Gendry nods, "And what about writing your sister? Willow packed me some paper to write to them."

Arya looks at him curiously, "You know how to write?"

Gendry leans back, offended, "Jeyne and Willow taught me."

She turned her back to him again, and threw the rock into the river, muttering something that sounded like "Ugh, Jeyne." Not sure what else to say, Gendry just watched Arya, as she stood and walked over to a tree stump, where she planted herself before calling out to him, "I'm going to close my eyes for a minute, so keep watch."

Gendry smiled, "As mi'lady commands." He laughed as he heard her give an annoyed sound, and promptly chuck a twig at his head. He continued laughing, remembering all the times he had teased her all those years ago. It was clear to him that a lot had changed in her since then, but it was nice to see that he could still tease her.

He looked over at her again, and saw that she was already asleep, curled up at the base of the tree. He moved closer to her and began studying her. Her hair was longer, and she had grown so nicely into her features; her face now filled out, lips full. Gendry shook his head then, ashamed. _Bastards should not think about highborn ladies!_ But really, he couldn't stop looking. She was wearing a tunic and breeches, and with the way the tunic was caught underneath her, it was quite tight, and Gendry could just how much of a lady she was. Gendry could feel himself blushing, and immediately looked away, terrified that she would wake up at that moment and scold him.

He shook his head, stood up and walked back over to the water. He stretched out his back a bit, tired from the long ride, when he heard howling nearby. Within minutes, the wolf pack had returned, some with bloodstains from their fresh kill. Gendry just watched them, as some joined him at the water for a drink, while others were already resting. Nymeria came over to him, rubbed against his waist, and then went immediately to stand guard over Arya. Gendry smiled at the sight, "Are you gonna watch her girl?" Nymeria perked her ears, "I'm gonna rest for a bit, okay girl?" He said as he walked up to her, petting her head. She licked his hand, which Gendry took as a yes, and then he collapsed onto the ground falling asleep within seconds.

* * *

Gendry woke to the sound of birds chirping in the background, implying that it was morning, meaning that Gendry must have slept for a long time. He slowly opened his eyes, and pushed his hair from his face. He looked around and saw that some wolves were gone and some were still sleeping. Across the small river bank, he saw Arya handing a scroll to a raven, who took it and quickly flew away. Gendry smirked, realizing that she had decided to take his advice and write to her sister. Arya made her way back over then, sitting a few paces away from him. He shifted and sat up, clearing his throat, "What did you write?"

Arya doesn't look at him, and just kept staring off into the distance, "Something only I would say."

Gendry nodded, and watched as she stood up, "We should get going, I want to reach Lord Harroway's Town before sundown." Gendry nodded again and stood to follow her, going over to grab his horse. He quickly checked the saddle bag to make sure everything was secure, and then turned and almost knocked Arya over, "Watch it stupid!"

Confused Gendry raised his brow at her, "What are you doing?"

Arya rolled her eyes at him, "Getting onto the horse" she said as she began to climb on the horse.

"But aren't you riding Nymeria?"

Now on top of the horse, Arya looked down at him, "She wants to hunt, she'll check in later once we arrive at the Inn."

"Oh. Okay" Gendry responded, before going to grab the handle to hop on, but being stopped by Arya.

"No way Bull. You can sit behind me or walk." He attempted to glare at her, but found that he couldn't. He was just happy that she called him Bull. So instead he just shrugged his shoulders and hopped on behind her. He took a minute to try and figure out what he should hold on to, as he most certainly could not hold onto Arya! No, instead he just held onto what he could of the saddle, and just prayed for a smooth ride. Arya turned around to make sure he was on and then said, "I'm a much better rider than you" he snorted at her, "And we'll get there much faster if I'm in charge."

Gendry shook his head and let out a sigh, "Whatever you say _mi'lady_."

And with that Arya kicked her foot and the horse lifted its front legs, promptly making Gendry slide right off and land on his bottom, before the horse took off, with Arya laughing hard as she rode into the woods, leaving Gendry behind, sitting in the grass.

* * *

After a long day of travelling, especially on Gendry's end since it took him about a half hour to catch up to Arya on foot, they had finally reached the Town, and promptly found an Inn in which they could spend the night. Gendry had never been to this particular Inn before, but Lem had always spoken highly of Tamra, one of the whores that worked there. Gendry shook his head at the thought, almost missing the rowdy men of the Brotherhood without Banners.

Once they had obtained a room, Arya went to bathe and left Gendry in charge of guarding their things. He put everything in the bag she had given him and headed back downstairs to get some food from the tavern. As he made his way down the stairs, he heard the familiar voices of Lem and Tom, who sounded like they were fighting over Tamra. _They caught up to us fast,_ Gendry thought. He had just turned around to go back upstairs to warn Arya, when he bumped directly into Thoros who smacked him on the shoulders, "Gendry m'boy!"

Gendry offered a small smile, "Caught up to me then?"

Thoros smiled back at him, "Not intentionally. Some of the men just had to stop for a fix before going to the Trident." Gendry raised his brow, questioning, as Thoros continued, "We hear there are still some Frey's wondering about."

Gendry nodded and followed Thoros' gesture to continue down the stairs and sit at a table. At this point, the others began to notice him, and Tom called out to him, "Aye Gendry! Where's the little Lady?"

Gendry smirked, "Don't call her that to her face." The men laughed as Tom shrugged his shoulders and then continued on with his song, attempting to serenade Tamra away from Lem, who had an arm around her waist. Ned and Harwin came over to join Gendry and Thoros. Ned offered Gendry some food, which he gladly took, as Ned began questioning him, "So I'm guessing you found Lady Arya?"

Gendry gave him a look, and only responding with, "Aye." After taking another bite, Gendry looked over to the stairs, wondering if he should really go back upstairs and warn her. As if sensing her, Arya came down the stairs at that moment, looking fresh and clean, her hair down and flowing over her shoulders. _She looks wild_ , he thought, _wild and beautiful_ , he smiled to himself. As if reading his thoughts, she met his gaze with her icy grey eyes locking on his. She then moved her gaze to look around, clearly she did not like what she saw. Arya went to turn around back up the stairs when Tom called out to her, "Lady Arya! Come join our gathering!"

Everyone stopped eating then, and looked over at Arya, who was shooting daggers at Tom, and then at Gendry, as if it were his fault that they happened to run into them. Gendry just looked at her apologetically as she shook her head and finished descending the steps, walking over to join their table, "Scoot over" she said as she shoved Gendry's shoulder. Gendry complied, moving one seat to the right.

They sat in silence for a moment, and Gendry looked around the table to find the men staring at her, Ned staring too much. As Gendry glared at Ned, Arya began speaking, "Are you guys following me?"

Harwin smiled at her, "Wouldn't dream of it Lady Arya, just happen to be travelling in the same direction is all."

Arya narrowed her gaze, "And which way would that be Harwin?"

"Just going to meet up with the Lady, and a few others East, and then turn West." He paused, leaning closer over the table, speaking in hushed tones, "We hear that Walder Frey is on his deathbed, and that the entire Frey clan is weakened because of it. Now is the time to strike."

At the mention of Walder Frey, Gendry noticed Arya's eye go dark, and her face blank of emotion. The men just stare at her, trying to gage her reaction when she says, "I'd like to come."

The table is silent as the men stared at each other, thinking of what to say. Finally, Harwin spoke up, "Lady Arya, their army is still too strong. We have been killing Frey's for years, and still their numbers are much greater than ours. It would be too dangerous."

Arya quickly stood up, angry, and Gendry noticed a small blade in her left hand, not even sure when she had time to grab it. "They slaughtered my brother and mother. I will kill Walder Frey, try and stop me if you want, but I will kill him in the end." And with that she left the men with their jaws open as she slammed the tavern door shut behind her. Immediately Gendry stood from his chair and went to follow her. Thoros clamped his hand on Gendry's shoulder trying to stop him, "Give her some time lad."

Gendry glared at him, and turned to Tom who winked at him and then began playing 'No Featherbed for Me'. Gendry shook his head, annoyed that they even ran into the stupid Brotherhood, and opened the door into the dark night to look for the stubborn She-wolf.


	20. Chapter 20: Arya

_**A/N: Hi everyone! So here is the next Arya chapter...definitely not my best chapter, so I apologize for that! The next chapter will likely be from Sansa's perspective. As always, I just want to thank all of you lovely people for taking the time to read my story! I really appreciate it! Please comment to let me know what you think, or to offer any suggestions! Lastly, for anyone who hasn't watched episode 2 yet...watch it! It was amazing! :)**_

Arya was sick of this, bumping into the Brotherhood like they were old chaps, when indeed they weren't. Arya made her way into the forest slashing at the trees as she went. She was angry, and not only that, but she was thirsty for blood. Thinking back to her time with the Hound, Arya had never understood how one could be so blood thirsty, but she understood now. She wanted to kill something; kill someone. Hearing Walder Frey's name didn't help either. She needed to get the Twins as soon as possible, for she would never let that old bastard die peacefully.

Arya sat down on the ground, trying to think of a plan, when she heard someone calling out for her, probably Gendry. Not wanting to deal with the stupid Bull at the moment, Arya continued further into the woods, towards the sound of a familiar whimper. A few moments later, Arya's gaze was met with the big yellow eyes of her wolf, "Nymeria!"

The great wolf whimpered and sped forward, licking Arya's arm as Arya attempted to hug her. Arya quickly let her go as she heard noise behind her. From the not-so conspicuous walk, she knew it was Gendry. Without even turning she said, "Why are you always following me?"

His movements behind her stalled, as he realized he had been found out, "Just wanted to make sure you weren't running away again, off on some crazy hunt to kill old Walder."

Arya spun around quickly, with her grey eyes locking on his blue, glaring at him, "That cunt doesn't deserve to die in the comfort of his own featherbed. Not after what he did to my family."

Gendry looked down at his feet, probably not sure of what to say. After a moment's silence, he spoke again "Were you there?" he paused, "There were rumors…"

Arya clenched her teeth, tightening her grip on Nymeria's fur, feeling her anger boil at the mention of what people called, the Red Wedding, "Yes I was there! I saw what they did to my brother. Mounting his wolf's head to his body, thinking it was some great victory to slaughter welcomed guests! I would've loved to kill some of them, would have done to if the bloody Hound hadn't taken me away."

Gendry just stood there in silence. They remained silent for a few more moments before Arya saw two figures emerge from the trees, Nymeria began to growl, moving over to Gendry. Ned Dayne and Harwin made their way over to them, taking their time as to not offend Nymeria. When they were a few feet away from them, Harwin and Ned nodded to Arya, "That's quite a wolf you got there" Harwin smirked.

Arya narrowed her eyes, "Her name's Nymeria. She's the leader of the great wolf pack that's been going near the Inn."

Harwin nodded, while Ned looked over at Gendry who was now petting Nymeria, "Seems to like you just fine."

Gendry smiled at him, "We have an understanding."

Arya rolled her eyes at him, wondering what possible understanding he could have come to with a giant direwolf. Ned however, narrowed his eyes at Gendry, "Oh." Ned with his pretty blonde hair seemed quite irritated with Gendry that Arya let out a laugh. They all returned their gazes to her, Ned speaking first, "Apologies for interrupting my Lady" Arya rolled her eyes as Gendry smiled at her with the mention of her being a Lady, "we were just curious to know where you'd been all this time."

"I do not wish to speak of it _Ser_." Ned blushed then, as if he were embarrassed. Arya was a little curious herself and decided to ask, "And you _Ser_ , why are you still with the Brotherhood? I thought you would've left after Lord Beric died."

He met her gaze with a smile, "Not many other places to go my Lady, and it only seemed right."

Arya turned to Gendry then, who had remained silent, petting Nymeria, "Is that why you stayed Gendry?" He looked up at her, "A sense of duty?" He didn't answer, just stood there with an apologetic look on his face. She shook her head and began walking away, back towards the Inn, hearing Nymeria whimper behind her, "I'm going to go get some sleep." No one dared following her this time, as she walked quickly back to the Inn, quietly climbing the steps as to not be stopped by more members of the Brotherhood. She reached the room she had gotten them for the night, and promptly untucked her tunic, removed her breeches, and hopped into the straw bed, putting a small blade underneath her pillow.

At some point, Arya had drifted off to sleep, trying her hardest to ignore the loud, obnoxious sounds of the Brotherhood and their whores in the rooms beneath her. Just as she had drifted off to sleep, she was woken up by the loud sound of Gendry entering the room. Arya opened one eye to see him standing there, as if not sure where to sleep. Arya bit her lip, annoyed and then said, "Just get in the bed you loud oaf."

Gendry jumped when she spoke, thinking that she was asleep. He looked terrified when his gaze wondered over to the bed. After a moment, he shook his head, "No, it wouldn't be right."

Arya rolled her eyes, "We slept next to each other all the time when we were on the road before."

Gendry got a stern look on his face as his gaze met hers, "It's different now."

Arya let out an irritated and confused sigh, "How?"

Gendry reached over her, grabbed a pillow and one of the extra blankets and threw it on the floor. He laid down on the blanket and then turned away from her. Just as she thought her question had been ignored, Gendry finally responded, "It just is."

* * *

Arya woke early the next morning as the sunlight entered the window, causing the dust of the old Inn to glisten in the passing of glowing sunbeams. Arya rose up from her sleeping position and looked around the room to find Gendry still sound asleep on the floor, but facing her. The stubborn Bull looked so peaceful in his sleep, with his coal-black hair shielding his eyes. Arya bit her lip as she watched him silently for a moment. She then forced herself out of the bed and got dressed. She made sure she was quick and quiet about it, as she dressed and grabbed her belongings, putting Needle to her hip. Then, she slowly opened the door and slipped out of the room.

She quickly made her way downstairs, making no noise as she went, reminding her of her days in Braavos when she was Cat of the Canals. She smiled as she made her way out of the Inn undetected, no Brotherhood in sight. Arya assumed they must have already left. There was no sign of Nymeria either, so Arya assumed the great wolf had gone back to her pack. Arya made her way to the stables and saw that she had been wrong about the Brotherhood, as all of their horses were still there, so they must just be sleeping in. Arya went for the strongest looking horse, which looked like a Dornish steed, _probably Ned's,_ she thought. Just as she had saddled the horse and begun putting her belongings in the saddle, she heard a noise behind her. Without a moment's hesitation, Arya drew Needle and turned to face the source of the sound.

It was Thoros, standing five feet before her with a smile on his face, "May I ask where you are going so early in the morning mi'Lady?"

Arya grunted, keeping her sword steady in her left hand, "Just going for a morning ride."

Thoros laughed at her and then pointed to the saddlebag, "Do you always bring a lot of weaponry and an extra set of clothing when you go riding?"

Arya glared, "Yes."

Thoros slowly walked closer to her, sighing at her as she raised her sword, "Look mi'Lady, you are free to do as you please, just don't leave the poor boy behind."

Arya deepened her glare, "Why?" she asked. She never asked Gendry to come with her, and he would just slow her down, and try to stop her. She had a plan to help her remaining family retake the North, and kill those remaining people on her list. He would try to stop her. She knew he would. She didn't need him.

Catching herself in her thoughts, Arya looked up to see Thoros staring at her, an exasperated look on his face, "You need him." Arya huffed at that, trying not to let her face give anything away. Had he read her thoughts?

"Why? Did your precious god tell you that?" Arya spat at him.

Thoros smiled at her and shrugged his shoulders as if the damned red god had told him. Arya rolled her eyes at the idiotic man before her, and then lowered her sword before promptly lifting herself to sit on the horse and looking back at Thoros, "Well there is only-"

She was interrupted by Ned Dayne running over to them, "Lady Arya, where are you taking my horse?"

Arya cursed under her breath, "For a ride."

Ned smiled at her, "Well my Lady, let us break our fast and then I will gladly escort you for a ride."

Arya narrowed her eyes at the innocent boy in front of her, and then glanced at Thoros as he said, "The boy's right, let us eat first."

Arya sighed and then reluctantly hopped off the Dornish steed, and removed her belongings from the saddle, "Fine. Quickly."

As they made their way out of the stable, Arya walking in front of Ned and Thoros, she heard noise outside. As they got closer to the entrance, she recognized Gendry's harsh tone, "Where'd she go? She can't have just left!"

Thoros pushed in front of her, opening the door where Harwin and Lem were trying to calm Gendry down, whose back was facing Arya. Lem stopped his efforts and gestured towards where Arya stood. Knowing that Gendry was all worried about her, but not wanting to admit it, Arya bit her lip as she said, "Where did who go?" Gendry turned towards her then and she watched him as relief washed over his face. He went to speak, but Arya beat him, "Some whore whose bell's you were ringing?"

All the men broke out in laughter, while Gendry just blushed under her gaze. Shaking her head at the stupid Bull, Arya walked past them all and back towards the Inn to break her fast.

* * *

Arya ate her food in silence, seated next to Gendry, with Ned across from her, seated between Harwin and Thoros. Ned was the only one responsible for conversation, telling tales of the previous night when Lem and Tom had apparently had quite the fight over Tamra. At the mention of her name, the wench made her way over to the table and refilled their goblets. As she was doing so, Arya noticed that the girl wouldn't stop looking and smiling at Gendry. Gendry seemed completely oblivious to the girl's affections, which just made Arya laugh to herself.

A few moments later, a few men that Arya didn't recognize from the Brotherhood, entered the tavern and sat down at the table next to theirs. They began talking to Harwin, and Arya went to tune them out, but stopped herself when she heard them mention the name Frey. Not sure exactly who exactly they were referring to, Arya looked up at the unfamiliar men, "Do you have news on old Walder?"

The two men looked taken aback as she spoke to them. The smaller of the two, the one with the very crooked nose, rose his eyebrow at her, "Who's asking?" he looked to Harwin, "Who's this new wench ya got with ya?"

She could feel Gendry tense beside her, making tight fists with his hands. Normally, Arya would have gotten angry at the man too, but she had played the role of wench many times in Braavos, so it didn't really bother her. Apparently it really didn't sit well with Ned though, because at the mention of 'wench', he quickly stood up and yelled at the man, "She is no wench Ser! Apologize to the Lady." The man looked from a fuming Ned over to Arya before apologizing. Arya just laughed at the scene before her, as Ned continued to glare at the man, while Gendry glared at Ned.

Not amused by the outburst, Harwin turned back to the man, "So, news of old Walder?"

Ignoring Ned's intense stare, the man looked to Harwin, "Aye. The man remains ill, but apparently well enough to still be calling out orders. He's locked down the Twins on both sides."

"Why?"

The man shrugged his shoulders, "Must be afraid of the Bolton's marching south, or the Dragon Queen marching north." The men nodded in understanding. Arya did not fully understand, what they were talking about, with respect to the Dragon Queen, but decided to ignore it for the time being.

Instead, Arya turned to Harwin, "I thought you said the Frey defense was weak."

He nodded, "My Lady, they are weakened. Their leader is very ill, yet is ordering them all to defend his house" he paused, "Their numbers are large, but not that large, I'm sure many will abandon him within a fortnight."

Arya nodded and thought to herself. She didn't need an army, she just needed a way to get inside the Twins, to kill Walder Frey. She would not wait a fortnight, as she was worried that he would be dead before then. She needed to strike sooner. She smiled at the thought of the old man on his knees, begging for her mercy. She would show him none. Arya continued smiling as she said, "He will not last a fortnight."

Gendry looked at her, with worry covering his face. Harwin offered her a small smile, "My Lady, we understand you want your revenge, and if you'd like to kill the old bastard, you can. Just let us help."

Arya narrowed her eyes at the men before her, not sure if she should trust them, especially since she could complete this task on her own. She was just about to mention this fact when Gendry spoke, "Well we were just on our way to the Eyrie."

Arya glared at him, "Plans change."

Gendry let out a sigh as Ned said, "To see Lady Hardying?"

Arya rolled her eyes at his ignorance, "Yes, to see Sansa."

Ned turned to Harwin and they exchanged worrying looks. Annoyed, Arya said, "What is it?"

Harwin turned to her, with a look of concern on his face, "We've heard news from the Vale, that the Lady has taken ill from having the babe."

Arya turned to look at Gendry then, with thoughts of an ill Sansa. Gendry looked at her sympathetically, and she knew that he wanted her to go to the Vale. Irritated, Arya let out a huff, "Fine. We shall go to the Vale first so I can at least see my sister, and then we are going to the Twins so I can kill Walder Frey."


	21. Chapter 21: Sansa

_**A/N: Hi everyone! Apologies for the delay, but here it is! Hope you enjoy it! I'm planning on having the next chapter from Brienne's perspective...a new challenge for me, but exciting nonetheless! Any thoughts on what I should do about Jaime? Should he be at the Vale with Brienne? Let me know what you think! I love getting feedback! And as always...thanks for reading! :)**_

* * *

The labour had been absolutely agonizing, not that Sansa could even remember it. They had drowned her in milk of the poppy, and cut her open before she even had to chance to ask what was happening. The last thing she remembered before completely blacking out was Mya holding her hand, and the soft sound of a babe's cry in the background.

When Sansa finally woke again, she was in a panic. She quickly gazed around the room and could not see her baby. She attempted to sit up but winced in pain. At the sound of Sansa in pain, Lady Brienne came rushing through the door, "My Lady! Don't move, you will pull out your stitches."

Sansa rose her eyebrow at the large lady before her, "Stitches?" she paused thinking, where her thoughts immediately turned back to her baby, "Where is my baby? Where is Harry?"

Brienne moved closer to Sansa, offered her a glass of water, which Sansa took, and said, "Your son is fine, and –"

"My son! I have a boy!" Sansa's eyes welled with tears, "Bring him to me."

Brienne smiled at her and offered her a cloth to wipe her eyes, "Of course my Lady."

Sansa smiled and watched as Brienne left the room. With Brienne gone, Sansa did a full inspection of herself to try and piece together what had happened. She pushed down the covers, and lifted her smallclothes to find tens of stiches lining her lower abdomen, where her son must have been removed. The rest of her stomach was quite covered in dried blood, as were her thighs, causing Sansa to wonder just how much blood she had lost. Beginning to feel light-headed from all this thought of blood, Sansa laid her head back on her pillow and winced at the slight pull of her stitches.

A moment later, Brienne opened the door and entered into the room followed by Maester Clawdin and Mya, who was holding her son. Sansa let out a cry when her eyes met her beautiful son, quietly awake in Mya's arms. Mya smiled at her before handing Sansa her son. Sansa was full on crying now, taking in her son's gorgeous blue eyes and red hair, _Tully blue_ Sansa whispered to herself. Her son had a strong face, and quite the head of hair, reminding her so much of her eldest brother, _Robb_.

After several moments of drinking in this wonder before her, who was just smiling and blinking up at her, Mya spoke, "My Lady, I shall hold him while the maester examines you."

Sansa nodded, reluctantly handing her son into Mya's waiting arms. Maester Clawdin sent her a brief smile before beginning his examination, "The babe was a little early my Lady, but let me tell you, he is quite large."

Sansa giggled, "Like his father then."

The maester nodded, before moving to take a look at her stitches, and then grabbing some equipment to replace a few that had fallen out. "Speaking of Harry, where is he?"

Brienne, standing in the middle of the room cleared her throat, "My Lord is currently attending to some unwanted visitors. He did not want to leave you, but they had been harassing the guards for hours my Lady."

Sansa nodded, "Of course. How long have I been asleep for?"

Brienne sent her a sad smile, "Almost a week my Lady."

Sansa leaned back, causing poor Maester Clawdin to lose a stitch, "A week?"

"Yes my Lady."

Sansa was confused, as to what could have possibly caused her to sleep for a week. Just as she was about to ask, she began to feel sleepy again. The maester looked at her, offering her a small smile as he finished up, before saying, "I believe the Lady needs to rest."

Brienne nodded in agreement, "Yes, we shall leave you my Lady."

Mya smiled at her, raising her sons arm to wave at Sansa's tear stricken face. Brienne and Maester Calwdin had already left, but Mya remained behind for a moment, "Mi'Lady, there is a letter come for you on yer' table there, best give it a read before too long, as I think it's from the lads that are at the gates."

Sansa sighed, not wanting to deal with this at the moment, but smiling at Mya nonetheless, "Of course Mya, thank you" she paused, looking to her son, "for everything."

Mya grinned at her, "Of course mi'Lady."

And with that, Mya slipped out the door, which she closed behind her, leaving Sansa alone to sleep. Of course, at the mention of the letter, Sansa did not feel much like sleeping anymore. Curious as to who it could be from, Sansa reached over to where it laid on the table beside her, unrolled the scroll and began to read,

 _Sansa,_

 _You may be surprised to hear from me, as many think I'm dead, but I assure you I am not. I have come back to avenge our fallen family and take back what is ours. I know we didn't always get along, but we need to come together to take back Winterfell. I will come to the Vale in a few days' time, before heading up North to find Rickon._

 _See you soon,_

 _Arya 'Horseface'_

 _Just in case you doubt I am who I say I am, do you remember one day we were travelling to the Red Keep with father and the king? Do you remember those purple flowers I collected, that were actually poison kisses which gave me a rash? I laughed about it and rubbed mud all over my arms, you looked at me with disgust and called be a 'bog woman'_.

When Sansa read the last line of the letter, she screamed, Arya was alive and well! She never thought she'd see any family ever again! At her loud scream, Brienne came bursting through the door with her sword drawn, "My Lady what is it?"

Sansa looked up at her, through her tear filled eyes, handed Brienne the letter and laughed. "It's Arya. She's alive."

Brienne's eyes widened at Sansa's statement as she read the letter. When she finished, she handed it back to her, "Are you certain this is truly Arya?"

Sansa smiled, as happy tears slid down her face, picturing Arya laughing loudly as she splashed mud onto herself. "Yes. I'm sure." Thinking back to the letter, ' _few days' time'_ Sansa asked, "Brienne, when did this letter arrive?"

"The day following the birth of the babe."

Sansa let out a gasp, "That long!" Sansa pushed back the covers and stood from her bed, suddenly feeling very lightheaded and taking Brienne's arm.

"My Lady you must rest."

"No Brienne, I must go to the gates, Arya is here already. I just know it."

Brienne looked at Sansa, at the hopeful look on her face before complying, "All right my Lady, I shall escort you to the gates. We shall go slowly."

Sansa grinned at her, "Alright then. Please send for Mya to help me get dressed first."

Brienne nodded, released Sansa's arm and walked out into the hallway calling for Sansa's handmaidens, telling them to go find Mya. Sansa sat back down slowly, grimacing in pain, as she waited for Mya and her handmaidens to arrive.

* * *

With Brienne on one side, Mya on the other, and her handmaidens following behind, Sansa had finally made her way down to the gates of the Vale, several hours later. She winced every so often from the pain caused by all this movement, and was sure that she may be bleeding underneath her lavender dress. For once, Sansa didn't mind though, she was about to see her sister, who she had presumed dead for the past 5 years.

As they reached the gate, Sansa could spot Harry up ahead, and she called out to him. He immediately turned his head, his eyes quickly finding hers, and grinned, "My dear!" He rushed over to her, and gave her a soft hug, presumably aware of her injuries. He then leaned back, his arms still on hers, "How are you? Have you seen our son? What are you doing down here? You should be resting!"

Sansa giggled at her husband's muttering, "I am here to meet my sister." Harry raised his eyebrow at her and looked at her as if she were crazy. He then turned his gaze to Brienne who was standing beside them.

"Do you believe this Brienne?" Harry said questioningly to Brienne.

Brienne nodded, "Aye, my Lord. I do" she paused turning her gaze toward the gates, "I believe she's travelled here with the Brotherhood without Banners."

Sansa's eyes widened, looking back at Brienne, "You didn't tell me the Brotherhood was here."

Brienne smiled at her, "Didn't want to worry you my Lady."

After a moment of silence passed between them, Sansa decided she could not delay anymore, "Well, let's go meet my sister!"

Harry sent her a sad smile, and put his arm around his shoulders, beginning to walk with her, "Are you sure about this my darling?"

Sansa reached up and kissed her husband lightly on the cheek, "Yes."

As they approached the gate, the Knights of the Vale began to stand aside, letting their Lord and Lady pass through. When Sansa finally stood in front of the gate, her eyes scanned the men on the other side, desperately seeking her sister. As she continued searching the men, one walked forward and spoke to her, "My Lady" he bowed his head, "I'm glad to hear you are doing better."

Sansa narrowed her eyes at the man with red hair and rotting teeth, "Thank you Ser. And who do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

"Thoros of Myr." The mere mention of his name, caused people behind her to begin whispering.

"Of the Brotherhood without Banners?"

The man smiled at her, "The very one."

Sansa nodded in acknowledgment, hope welling within her, and then asked, "And what is your business here Thoros of Myr?"

He smiled wider this time, causing Harry's grip on Sansa to tighten, "We brought the Lady a visitor."

He stepped aside then, as did men behind him, making room for a small figure that began approaching the gates. As the figure moved closer, people began whispering, a common name leaving their lips, ' _she-wolf'_. When the figure was close enough, Sansa finally got a good look at the person before her. She was still quite small in terms of size, but Sansa could tell she was quite athletic. Athletic, strong and beautiful, terms that were not often linked together, but in this case, they made perfect sense. Arya was stunning. She was still wearing boy's clothes, which made Sansa let out a sarcastic laugh. But her hair had grown quite long and wavy, accenting her long face, which was now more filled out. And her eyes were still piercing grey, just like their father's. The sight made Sansa tear up immediately.

Without even recognizing her own voice, Sansa began calling out orders to open the gates. She could not break her gaze from Arya, but knew the knights had followed her orders as the cold steel barrier between them was now moving aside. No longer able to hold back, Sansa raced forward through the gates, ignoring the pain underneath her gowns, and moved towards Arya. "Arya!" Sansa yelled before throwing herself at Arya. Sansa looped her hands around Arya's thin shoulders and squeezed. Arya seemed reluctant at first, as if unsure of what was happening, but then eventually put an arm around Sansa's back and gave her a light pat. Sansa didn't mind though, she was crying and squeezing enough for the both of them.

When she feared that Arya could no longer breathe, Sansa leaned back and sighed, taking in the sight of her beautiful and wild sister, "You've grown!" Sansa smiled at her, "Still wearing boy's clothes though I see."

At that comment, the large man standing behind Arya, who Sansa had just noticed, let out a laugh. He was a very muscular man, with black hair and blue eyes, unseeingly familiar. Sansa was about to ask who he was, when Arya gave him a hard shove and said, "Shut up!"

Sansa laughed at her sister, "Haven't changed a bit have you?"

Arya turned toward her and flashed her an innocent smile, though her eyes were dark. Sansa looped her arm through Arya's and said, "Let us go sister, I'm sure your friends are tired from their long journey." Arya nodded at her, as Sansa directed them over toward Harry, to introduce him to Arya.


	22. Chapter 22: Brienne

_**A/N: Hi everyone! So I am officially the worst. I'm so sorry for taking so long to get this chapter up! All I can say is that I've had major writer's block for the past few weeks, and have just been enjoying the summer. So sorry! Just know that I have absolutely no intention on just giving up on this fic. Anyway's here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it! Next one will probably be from Arya's perspective. Thank you so much for reading! Please comment! 3**_

Brienne was not quite sure what to make of the reappearance of the lost Stark girl. She looked different than what had been described to her, but Sansa seemed positive that this was the real Arya. Brienne had not pictured someone so wildly pretty, _especially with a nickname like 'horseface'_ , or someone so cold, although she supposed that Lady Arya had been through hard times.

After everyone had been introduced, and Arya had become entirely unamused, so it seemed, Lady Sansa insisted that her sister have some rest, and bathe before recommencing for a feast. Arya did not seem to be the most talkative person, so she had just simply nodded to everything Lady Sansa was saying as they made their way up to the castle.

The Brotherhood followed behind them, as Sansa had insisted that they stay before departing. Brienne was not happy about this, especially as she was unsure if Lady Stoneheart was lurking somewhere nearby. She was however interested to see Gendry again, the boy who had saved her life, the boy with a face painted of her first love. He had just nodded to her, and she him, before quickly following the Ladies back up the monstrous valley that was the Vale.

It was an interesting ride back up the castle, and Brienne became very aware of how close Gendry was. While it was her duty to remain so close to Lady Sansa, Gendry held no such obligation. Brienne couldn't help but wonder how deep his care went for the lost Stark. It almost made Brienne laugh when she thought about it; how King Robert, the boys father, had been so in love with Lyanna, Arya's aunt. She wondered if Lady Arya knew of his parentage.

When they finally reached the main hall, everyone descended from their horses and donkey's and entered to break their fast. Arya seemed eager to eat, but she was quickly whisked away by a few of Sansa's handmaidens, and Lady Sansa herself. Mya went to follow them, but Brienne grabbed her arm, "I think it is best you stay here" she paused, "Let the sisters talk."

Mya seemed disappointed, as she reluctantly stayed behind. Brienne was about to tell Mya to go help with the horses, when she realized the Mya's eyes had grown wide. Brienne followed her gaze and realized who she was staring at, Gendry, the two of them looked so similar. Gendry was completely oblivious to their gazes, as he stared longingly at the door that the Ladies had went through. Brienne sighed as she thought she should introduce them, "Come Mya."

Without looking behind her, Brienne knew Mya was following as she made her way over to Gendry. When she stood in front of him, she cleared her throat. Gendry sucked in a breath, startled by Brienne's presence, but offered her a small smile when he realized it was Brienne, "Lady Brienne."

Brienne huffed, "No Lady, Gendry, just Brienne."

Gendry looked to his feet, "Right. Apologies mi' – Brienne."

Brienne offered the poor boy a smile. She then shifted slightly, allowing Gendry's gaze to fall on Mya, who was standing behind her. His eyes widened, "Gendry, this is Mya" she paused as she watched Mya smile at Gendry, who had bowed his head to her, "I believe you are both King Robert's bastards – half siblings."

Neither of them said anything for a moment, but then Mya spoke up, "Well I don't really remember the man but you sure do look like how people describe 'im."

Gendry nodded, "You look like him too."

Mya raised her brow at him, "You met 'im? What was he like? I heard he liked his whores."

Gendry lowered his head as if embarrassed by her frankness, "I saw him a few times, growing up in Flea Bottom."

Mya nodded her head and then the two remained silent. Brienne was beginning to feel very awkward, so she decided to speak up, "Gendry, perhaps you'd like to see the forge, our blacksmith Wardyl is sure to be impressed by your work."

Gendry smiled at the compliment, "I would like that."

Brienne nodded to him, then they both said goodbye to Mya before leading Gendry out of the hall, through the grounds, towards the forge. Brienne could see the fire from this distance, with the smoke escaping through the chimney. Gendry commented behind her, "It's quite a large forge."

Brienne turned to him, and smiled, "Only the best for the Knights of the Vale."

Gendry didn't seem to hear her, as they went in through the door, and he seemed completely lost in all the metal work surrounding him. At their entrance, Wardyl came over to them, "Brienne, how nice to see you again, need some armour patched up?" he said smiling at her, "Or perhaps you'll let me take a look at that magnificent valyrian sword you got there."

Brienne let out a laugh, "Not a chance Wardyl. I almost lost it once, I'm not letting it out of my sight again."

Brienne then quickly introduced Gendry to Wardyl, and soon they were wrapped up in conversation, as Wardyl offered Gendry tools. Brienne excused herself, suddenly lost in her thoughts to the time that she had almost lost Oathkeeper. Biter had beaten her down and bit at her neck and face, making her even more of a joke than she already was. She would have been dead and completely lost to that sword if not for Gendry.

Brienne made her way back to where she knew Sansa had gone, easily maneuvering the many hills and halls that was the Eyrie. When she reached Sansa's solar, she paused outside the door, relieving the knight that was standing guard. He looked quite delighted to leave, which intrigued Brienne and caused her to eavesdrop on the two sister's that were inside conversing.

"Sansa don't make such a fuss! I do not want a feast, and I most certainly do not want to be dressed up like a doll." Brienne smiled at the feisty wolf-girl, as she reminded Brienne of herself when she was younger.

"Arya I'm sorry" Brienne could hear desperation in Sansa's voice "My handmaidens were just doing their job. We got you some more comfortable clothing."

The she-wolf did not respond, but Brienne was sure she had heard a growl.

"As for the feast" Sansa continued, "We have not been together in years little sister, it demands celebration."

The rest of their conversation was muffled, as Brienne saw Mya walking towards her, with the crying babe in her arms. Mya smiled at Brienne, "I think he wants his mother."

Brienne smiled and gently knocked on the half opened door before opening it fully. Brienne could see that Lady Sansa had just finished with Arya's hair, which was half up in fancy braids, things that Brienne could never quite comprehend. Sansa rushed over to get the babe from Mya and started to softly sing to it. Brienne looked to the she-wolf who was blankly staring at Sansa with complete indifference. She seemed bored with the situation, and stood up. Brienne noticed that she now looked refreshed from her bath, and was wearing a clean pair of breeches, tunic and a stunning leather jerkin that hugged her small form.

As Mya and Sansa looked after the babe, Brienne smiled at Arya, "How are you fairing my Lady?"

Arya looked at her and rolled her eyes, "Just Arya" she paused, her eyes going dark, looking to her feet "I'm fairing fine, just wish I could be doing other things."

Brienne laughed at her refreshing honesty before Arya asked, "Sorry I didn't catch your name – Brienne is it?"

She smiled, "Yes my – Arya, Brienne of Tarth."

Brienne was about to continue but instead followed Arya's gaze to the sword at her hip, "That's a nice sword you got there."

"Thank you Lady Arya, it was a gift."

Arya looked at her questioningly, "May I see it?"

Brienne nodded, drawing her sword and passing it to the small lady before her, whose eyes widened at the feel of it, "It this valyrian steel?" Brienne nodded, "Got a name?"

Brienne smiled, her thoughts now filled with Jaime, "Yes, Oathkeeper."

Arya eyed her suspiciously, handing the sword back to Brienne, "Hmm. Do you spar often Brienne?"

"Try to get a bit of practice in everyday" she said as she put her sword back to her hip.

Arya nodded, "I'd quite like to watch sometime."

Brienne blushed slightly, not sure why the she-wolf would care, "Of course."

Sansa drew their attention then, beckoning Arya over to meet the babe. "We haven't named him yet but I have been thinking about naming him after Robb, or father. Of course if Harry agrees."

Arya narrowed her gaze, "Sansa can I speak to you privately?"

Sansa looked worried, "What ever about? Anything you say to me you can say in front of Mya and Brienne."

Arya looked at them, unsure and then sighed, "Are you happy here Sansa?" she paused, "I mean, my sole purpose of coming here was to help you get out, if need be, and then join Rickon in the battle for our house."

Brienne and Mya remained absolutely silent, as the ever so gracious, sweet Sansa responded, "My dear sister. I know we never quite got along, and that you can't quite understand this" Arya huffed, "But I am happy here, very happy" she paused as tears filled her eyes, "While it was not originally my idea to be with Harry, I did come to love him, and I know he loves me too. I understand you want to take the house of our family back, and I'm happy to offer support, but my sister, my war is over. This is my home now" she smiled as she looked to the babe in her arms, "This is my family." As Sansa finished, she looked back to Arya, who held no expression on her face. The two sisters just silently stared at each other.

Finally, Arya broke the silence, "Alright."

After a long bout of awkward silence, Sansa handed the baby to Mya and held out her arm for Arya, who reluctantly took it, "Let us go for a short walk before the feast." As the sisters walked side by side through the door, into the hall, Brienne followed behind. When they had reached the courtyard, Sansa turned to face Arya, "Tell me, where you have been Arya? I know you were with the Brotherhood for a time before disappearing."

Arya looked at her confused, "How did you know I was with the Brotherhood?"

"Brienne told me."

At that Brienne stopped dead in her tracks, unseeingly afraid of the tiny she-wolf. Arya was shooting daggers at her, "Lady Arya, I only told Lady Sansa what I had been told by the Brotherhood, only wanted to reassure her."

Arya's face went back to being confused, "And how do you know the Brotherhood?"

With that, Brienne delved into her story, about her oath to Lady Catelyn, and then to Jaime, in which Arya had rolled her eyes. Brienne continued on with how she had been looking for the lost Stark girls, and came across the Brotherhood, who took her captive, believing she had broken oaths. She finished saying that Gendry had saved her, and after she recovered (although not well seeing as she barely had any skin left on her neck), Jaime had brought her here, to the Vale to protect Lady Sansa.

If Arya was shocked by Brienne's tale, she didn't show it. And when Brienne was done, all Arya could say was, "You know Gendry?"

Brienne smiled, "Yes, I owe the boy my life."

At the mention of Gendry's name, Sansa smiled, as if curious herself, "Arya, who is this Gendry?"

Arya turned to look at Sansa, "We met years ago when we travelled together for a time before he decided to stay with the Brotherhood."

Sansa nodded obviously wanting to hear more, but instantly realizing that was all her sister was willing to tell. "Did he protect you?"

Arya laughed, "That stupid bull-headed boy? I protected him more-like." Brienne didn't doubt that to be true, the young she-wolf was a fierce one.

Sansa smiled at her wild sister, and then her eyes went wide, "Is this the man that was at the gate with you, and then followed behind you on the way up here?"

Arya looked to her feet and nodded. Sansa's smile grew, "Well he seemed quite a big man! Handsome too!" Sansa giggled. Arya raised her brow, as if having no idea what Sansa was talking about. Sansa only continued to giggle when she saw her sister's expression, "I will have to meet him at the feast, he can sit at the main table with us."

Arya shook her head in annoyance and turned away from Sansa, beginning to walk away from her. Sansa followed closely behind, and Brienne couldn't help bet let out a laugh.

Once Sansa had caught up to Arya, they made their way down to the dining hall, where they were met with Lord Hardyng, who smiled when he saw Sansa, "My ladies, finally arrived" he took Sansa's arm and kissed her on the cheek, "Just in time for the feast to start!" At the Lord's words, the knights guarding the hall, opened the doors, and the Lord and Lady graciously made their entrance into the hall, while Arya sheepishly stood still.

Brienne took pity on the girl, understanding how much she would hate these kinds of events. Brienne looked to Arya, "It won't be that bad."

Arya, who had looked almost afraid a moment ago, now looked up at Brienne with dark eyes, and an emotionless expression, "We shall see." The words sent a slight chill down Brienne's back as she hastily followed the young she-wolf into the room.


	23. Chapter 23: Arya

_**A/N: Hi everyone! Here is the next Arya chapter...filled with fluff, so please enjoy! Comment and let me know what you think! Next chapter will be from Gendry's perspective. Also, how crazy and amazing was the season 6 finale! Spectacular! Can't wait for the next one!**_

Arya hated the thought of having to step into that dining hall. Hated the fact that while she had not been all dressed up, she was wearing far fancier clothes than she was used too these past 7 years. Arya also hated the fact that everyone would know who she was, everyone would be staring at the lost she-wolf. She had grown so used to lurking in the shadows, listening and analysing her surroundings that she wasn't so sure she would be able to do this. So she had remained frozen for a moment, as Sansa, lovely-as-ever Sansa, entered the hall with her pretty husband. Brienne noticed though.

Arya wasn't quite sure what to make of the giant woman. With a lot of the skin on her face missing, Arya supposed she looked quite intimidating, but it didn't bother Arya, she had seen and done much worse on other people.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, Arya slowly stepped into the dining hall, with Brienne following close behind. The hall was full of people, and the pillars were decorated with lovely vines and winter roses. All eyes were on her as she slowly walked with her head held high. She could hear whispers all around, whispers of 'she-wolf' and 'Lyanna'. When Arya looked before her to the head table, she saw Sansa and her Lord husband standing at their seats, waiting for her to join them, both with wide smiles on their faces. Arya thought this walk would never end, and she grew wary once she heard whispers of 'imposter'. Even though she was in fact Arya Stark of Winterfell, she did feel like an imposter, with all these lords and ladies fretting about.

When she finally did reach the head table, she went to stand beside Sansa, who was still smiling at her. Lord Hardyng cleared his throat and began his speech, "Welcome my Lord's, my Ladies to this ever so joyous celebration. Today, lost sisters are reunited, and alliances are reinstated" he looked to Arya then with a smile, "The Knights of the Vale will rally behind the Starks to assist them in retaking their home" Arya widened her eyes, not quite expecting this. She looked over at Sansa who was beaming. Lord Hardyng was still smiling as he raised his glass and finished his speech, "To the Starks!"

Cheers erupted all around her, and all eyes were on her again. She gave the crowd a small smile, kind of confused as to what was all happening. The feast was quickly served, and the hall remained loud, filled with cheering, drunk men. Men started coming up to her as she began eating, wishing her well, offering their services to the Stark cause. Arya was a little lost in all of the chaos, and began scanning the room for something familiar. She was quickly met with blue eyes. Gendry was sitting with the Brotherhood on the main floor, but he was not talking to anyone, he was just staring at her.

Arya didn't quite know how to describe it, but Gendry almost made her feel calm, a feeling that was completely foreign to her. After a minute of staring, he offered her a small smile, in which she responded by rolling her eyes, finally feeling like herself again amidst all this chaos. Unfortunately for Arya, Sansa seemed to notice this exchange between them, and quickly gestured to Brienne, "Brienne, could you please ask Gendry to join us?"

Brienne nodded, "Of course my Lady."

Arya shook her head, "No Sansa, I don't think he'll feel right sitting at the head table."

"Nonsense." Sansa waved her away, "Everyone is too drunk to notice anyways." Arya scowled at her. She was about to open her mouth to say more, when Brienne appeared beside her, with Gendry in tow.

"My Lady, may I introduce Ser Gendry of Hollow Hill." Sansa smiled at him, but Arya only snickered at the ridiculous title.

Sansa offered her hand to Gendry, who had bowed to her, "Pleasure to meet you Ser Gendry, I have heard many good things about you."

Gendry raised his head, with that stupid look on his face as his gaze turned to Arya, "You have?"

Sansa smiled her beautiful smile, "Yes, Brienne has told me of your bravery and kindness."

Gendry turned his gaze back to Sansa, the slight smile fading from his lips, "Oh, right, of course m'Lady" he paused, "I only did what I thought was right."

After an awkward moment of silence, Sansa gestured for them to be seated, "Please Ser Gendry, sit with us. I would love to hear more about your time with the Brotherhood, and with my sister."

Gendry scrunched up his face in complete confusion, and looked to Arya, as if asking for permission. Arya only shrugged her shoulders, and she sat down, Gendry reluctantly sitting beside her. The second they were seated, Sansa berated Gendry with questions. He kept his face scrunched up the whole time, as if it would hide his blushing.

After briefly describing their time on the road together with the Brotherhood, not mentioning Harrenhal, Sansa asked him, "Do you know of your parentage?" Arya felt Brienne shift suddenly behind them. Sansa continued, "I'm only asking because you look awfully familiar."

At that moment, Mya walked past the table on her way to the kitchens, and Arya saw it. Doing a double take of Mya, and then looking over to Gendry, she saw the extreme similarities between them. Sansa seemed to notice as well, "Oh! You look exactly like Mya, coal black hair, blue eyes." Gendry's eyes had gone wide, but he did nothing to respond. "Did you know that she is one of King Robert's bastards?"

Arya spat out the wine she had just poured into her mouth. After wiping her lips, she stared agape at Gendry who was looking to the floor, not muttering a word. Arya didn't know how she could not have seen it before. _Gods! Maybe I'm the stupid one,_ she thought. He looked a lot like the fat, drunk King that Arya had met a few times, except of course for the fat part. And Gendry's slight beard was also a lot shorter than Robert's had been. Also, the gold cloaks had been looking for him. Had he known who he was then? Had he been lying to her the whole time?

Arya stared at the ceiling for a moment, attempting to wrap her head around this new revelation before turning back to Gendry, "Did you know about this Gendry?"

She narrowed her eyes at him as she awaited a response. His eyes met her, as he smiled apologetically, "Yes I did."

Arya was fuming. She stood up quickly, knocking her chair to the floor, "You've known about this the entire time?" she yelled.

Gendry stood up to meet her but looked to the floor, "Not the whole time" he paused, looking to Brienne, "I only found out, when Lady Brienne told me, after I saved her."

Arya glared at him. He should have told her. Not wanting to see the stupid Bull any longer, Arya moved around her fallen chair and began walking fast towards the door, Sansa calling after her. As she reached the door, Lem appeared beside her drunkenly laughing at her, "Lover's spat?"

Arya stopped walking for a moment as she glared at him, and quickly turned to him, with her left arm swinging towards his face. She punched him hard in the nose, before smiling slightly, and opening the door. She walked out the door and made her way to the courtyard, with Lem yelling behind her, "Still the feisty little lady! Better not have broken my nose again!"

* * *

Arya wondered about for a while, getting lost in the halls. When she had finally found her way outside, she stopped dead in her tracks, hearing a wolf howl nearby. Knowing that it was Nymeria, Arya darted to the trees, closer to the sound. She had barely stepped into the dense forest before Nymeria emerged and pounced, playfully knocking Arya to the ground. They rolled around in the mud until Arya was laughing loudly, dirt covering her face, twigs in her hair. Nymeria whined and laid down beside her, putting her head on Arya's stomach.

After what felt like a lifetime of peacefully gazing at the stars, Arya finally heard footsteps approaching them. Nymeria was already up and alert, growling at whoever was approaching, which told Arya that it wasn't Gendry. Harwin's face emerged from the darkness of the clearing and smiled at her apologetically, "My Lady, people are looking for you."

Arya snorted, "Well you found me."

Harwin nodded and then slowly approached her, as Nymeria had now calmed down enough to sit beside her. He sat down across from her, "Apologies about Lem, I don't think he's had wine this fancy and strong in a long while" he laughed, "I fear he's taken complete advantage of Lord Hardyng's good graces."

Arya huffed at his comment, and then the two entered into an uncomfortable silence. Harwin seemed happy to keep it this way until Arya interjected, "Did you know about Gendry's father, Harwin?"

"Aye. It was pretty obvious to us. He just looks so much like his father."

"But he's nothing like that fat drunk."

Harwin smiled at her, "No he's not" he paused, "He's a much better man than any of us I think."

"You're probably right" Arya smiled back at him, "Why do you think he didn't tell me?"

"I don't think it means anything to him my Lady."

Arya's smile faltered, "Even so, I'm supposed to be his friend."

"Yes you are. But I'm sure you have secrets you have not shared with him."

Arya looked away from him, not wanting to talk about her past. Attempting to keep the subject matter about Gendry, Arya said, "But he could have a title, he could have the Storm Lands if he wanted."

"I'm sure he could my Lady, but I doubt he wants them" he hesitated before continuing, "I can only think of one reason why he would want to become a true Baratheon."

"Oh? And what's that?"

Harwin smiled at her and deepened his gaze, as if trying to tell her the answer with his eyes. Arya was confused and narrowed her eyes at him. She was just about to ask what he meant, when Nymeria raced away from them. After a few moments, Nymeria emerged before them, with Gendry beside her, petting her.

"Arya where have you been? I've been looking for you." Gendry asked desperately, not even acknowledging Harwin's presence.

Arya stood up, fists clenched, and rolled her eyes, "Well obviously I've been right here, stupid!"

"Why did you leave?"

Arya bit her lip and shrugged her shoulders in response. Gendry laughed, annoyed. He stared at her for a moment, before Harwin cleared his throat behind them, "Well I'll leave you to it, Gendry, my Lady."

Gendry nodded to him, and they both watched him disappear in the clearing before sitting down on the grass beneath them. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, before Gendry began picking leaves and twigs from her hair, "Did you get into a fight m'Lady? Or do you just like rolling around in the dirt."

Arya playfully glared at him and shoved him away, "I happen to like rolling around in the dirt thank you"

Gendry boomed with laughter beside her, "What kind of lady are you?"

Arya picked a twig from her hair and threw it at him, "The bad kind!"

Gendry's laughter continued for a while, before he collapsed to the ground, stretching one arm above him. Arya joined him, slowly laying her head on the lush, cold ground beneath her. After a while, Arya thought that Gendry may have drifted to sleep. She had begun to close her eyes as well, just as she heard his voice beside her, "I didn't think it mattered."

Arya opened her eyes, turning her head towards him, but he was just looking at the sky, "Didn't think what mattered?"

Gendry sighed, "I'm a bastard. Always will be. Just because my father was a King, doesn't mean anything."

"You could be legitimized, and have the Storm Lands."

Gendry turned his head to meet her gaze, "Is that what you want me to do?"

His words confused her, she couldn't think of why it would matter what she wanted. She bit her lip, thinking and stared into the hurt look, deep within his blue eyes, "No" she hesitated, "But if that's what you want."

Gendry chuckled, returning his gaze to the night sky, "I've served prissy Lords for most of my life, I can't imagine becoming one."

Arya silently nodded beside him, and soon she was drifting off to sleep, as Nymeria came to her side giving her warmth. Falling asleep on the cold hard ground, Arya couldn't help but think of their time together on the road. Arya fell asleep with a peaceful smile on her face.


	24. Chapter 24: Gendry

_**A/N: Hey guys! Here is the next chapter...it includes more actual plot, leading up to what will happen in the next few chapters. And just wanted to let everyone know, that while this story in centered around Gendry and Arya, I hope to explain what happens to most of the other characters as well (which will happen as they journey North). Anyways, comments are welcome! Enjoy!**_

Gendry woke to the feeling of a wet nose on his arm, attempting to move it. Startled, Gendry opened his eyes and jumped up to sit. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it was just Nymeria, trying to wake him up. He smiled to her and gave her a gentle stroke behind her ear. He then looked beside him, to where Arya had been sleeping and found that she was not there. He quickly stood up and scanned around. As she was nowhere to be found, Gendry assumed that she had gone back to the castle.

Gendry gave his back a stretch, since it was sore from sleeping on the hard ground, and then began making his way back to the castle. After a few steps, he noticed Nymeria was following him. He turned to her and put his hand out, "Sorry girl, I'm not sure how they would feel about a direwolf roaming around." Somehow seeming to understand, Nymeria whined and stalked into the forest.

Gendry hastily made his way back, with the sun's position telling him that they had probably already started serving breakfast. When he reached the doors, he quickly made his way to the bath house, as he wanted to freshen up before having to see the Lord and Lady again. Gendry had been surprised last night when they had invited him to sit at their table, he was quite uncomfortable there. Especially around Lady Sansa. The Lady was everything Gendry had pictured her being from Arya's descriptions; tall, graceful, courteous, and beautiful. Gendry would describe her as a classic beauty, someone you admire from a distance, but who is completely unattainable.

It still astounded him that the Lady and Arya were sisters. They looked nothing alike and had completely different personalities. He had been watching Arya during the feast last night, anxious to see how she handled being a Lady. Gendry laughed to himself, _she was hardly a Lady_. She hadn't even worn a dress, although her leather jerkin had been rather tight. Gendry blushed at the thought.

Shaking his head, he turned his thoughts to how she had acted. During the feast, he noticed that she had hardly talked to anyone, and constantly had her hand on her dinner knife. A few men had approached her, which made him clench his fists. She quickly turned them all away though, making Gendry relax. He had kept telling himself that he was just trying to protect her, he protected everyone he cared for. But he couldn't shake the feeling that it was more than that. He kept trying to shake it though, because it was not right for a bastard to think of a highborn Lady this way. It was difficult, seeing as most of the time he was with her, she made him forget all about titles, she was just Arry. _Well maybe not exactly_ he thought, she was much more distant and cold than she used to be.

When he reached the bath house, he stripped down and went in the warm water for a quick soak, letting the water cover his face in attempts to clear his mind. It didn't seem to work though, and when he got out the water and put back on his clothes, he couldn't help but wonder if he should really be around Arya at all.

* * *

When he reached the dining hall, breakfast was already in full swing. He noticed that Arya was not there. Pushing aside the need to find her, he decided he should break his fast first. He saw a group of the Brotherhood off to one side and decided to join them. He sat down at the end of the bench, with Harwin beside him, and Greendbeard across from him. Lem sat beside Greenbeard, looking a sorry state, clutching a cloth to his nose. Curious, Gendry asked Harwin, "What happened to him?"

The all chuckled around him as Harwin answered, "It seems he upset the little lady."

Gendry let out a soft chuckle as Lem grimaced across from him, "If she keeps this up, I'm gonna have no nose left."

Gendry smirked, "Aye. And you'll probably deserve it."

Even Lem laughed at that, and they all returned to eating. Gendry ate everything around him, not used to such lush food. When he finished, Greenbeard was looking at him, "Where were you last night? Didn't feel like sleeping with this sorry lot?"

Gendry stared at him with wide eyes and then looked around to see Harwin staring at him too, with a smirk on his face. Gendry narrowed his eyes and looked back to Greenbeard, "I slept in the forge."

Greenbeard rose a brow, "Uh huh."

Gendry could feel himself starting to blush, when Brienne came over and saved him. She stood at the end of the table, towering over them, and looking to Gendry. She opened her mouth to speak, but Greenbeard beat her to it, "My, my if it isn't Brienne the Beauty."

Gendry reached over and smacked him on the arm. Brienne glared at him for a moment, before turning back to Gendry, "Lord Hardyng and Lady Arya are having a meeting, I thought you'd like to join them."

Gendry scrunched up his face confused, "Did Arya ask you to come and get me?"

Some of the men snickered behind him, but Brienne ignored them, "No. Lady Sansa asked that I fetch you."

 _Of course,_ he thought, _Arya doesn't need me_. He sighed but got up anyway and followed Brienne out of the hall and up some stairs to where they were meeting. Gendry knew they had arrived when he could hear Arya's voice, sounding loud and angry, "I'm taking the Twins first!"

"But Arya, they're aligned with the Dragon Queen, we can't just go against her." He heard Sansa's voice pleading.

"And why the fuck not?" Arya yelled, "Who's stupid enough to make an alliance with that evil old swine anyway?"

"Arya! I would ask that you use more appropriate language."

At that, Brienne knocked on the door announcing herself, and Sansa told them to enter. She smiled when she saw Gendry, "Oh! Ser Gendry, perhaps you could talk some sense into my sister."

Sansa had turned back to Arya, glaring at her and thankfully didn't seem to notice when Gendry whispered, "Not likely" under his breath. The two sisters continued to glare at each other, and Gendry noticed that Lord Hardyng had his back to them, and was looking at a detailed map of Westeros. Gendry went over and stood over the map, curious. He saw that there were strategically placed sigils all over the map, indicating which Houses held which territory.

His gaze was drawn from the map when he heard Sansa speak behind him, going to stand at her husband's side, "The Dragon Queen has assured me that the Frey's and Bolton's will be dealt with, but right now, there are more important wars to be fought."

Arya glared, "Such as?"

"The White Walker's." Gendry was well aware of what Sansa was talking about, but he doubted that Arya had heard of such tales, being in hiding for so long. He had never seen a White Walker, but he knew they must be a big enough of a threat to unite the seven kingdoms, and the wildings against this common enemy.

Arya got up from her seat and walked over to them, "And you expect me to fight along side the men that killed our family?"

Sansa looked to her feet for a moment, before raising her head. Gendry noticed tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry Arya. I don't like it either, but winter has come and if we don't fight soon, we will all starve out the winter, and the White Walkers will destroy everything."

They all stood in silence for a moment before Sansa spoke again, "You might not like it Arya, but it's for the best. Even Jon agrees."

Arya perked up at the mention of her brother, her eyes revealing a lightness that Gendry hadn't seen in a very long time "Jon? You've heard from Jon?"

Sansa nodded, "We've corresponded a little, mostly discussing the upcoming war."

"Where is he?"

Sansa smiled at her, "I believe he spends his time between the Wall and King's Landing."

Arya's face scrunched in confusion, "Kings Landing? But that's a thousand leagues away from the Wall!"

Sansa laughed, "I'm sure it doesn't seem that far when you have a dragon."

Arya's eyes widened, "Dragon! He has a dragon!"

Gendry couldn't help but laugh at her, wondering how on earth she hadn't heard about this before. Not everyone believed in the White Walkers, but everyone loved to hear and tell the tale of three dragons and their masters. At his laugh, it seemed Arya finally acknowledged his presence and gave him a harsh nudge of the elbow to his ribs. He stopped laughing then, and Sansa shook her head and pulled Arya away from him, "Where have you been that this is the first you've heard of this?"

Arya's face went blank, "That's not important." They sat there in silence for a few moments, and Gendry couldn't help but eye her suspiciously, curious as to where exactly she'd been all this time, and why she hadn't told him yet.

Lord Hardyng was the one to break the silence, "I suppose my Lady then does not know much on Jon Targaryen then."

"Targar – what?"

Sansa sent a stern look to her Lord husband, "Perhaps you should leave us be, so I can explain it to her."

The lord smiled to her, "Of course." He walked towards the door and then turned to Gendry, "Gendry, perhaps I could interest you in a morning ride."

Gendry had never been much of a rider, but as he was terrified to oppose a lord, he just said, "Of course m'Lord" and followed him out the door, leaving the sisters to speak in confidence.

* * *

Going for a ride with the Lord had been horrifying. Lord Hardyng had invited Harwin and Tom along as well, so at least he wasn't alone, but out of everyone, he was useless on a horse. Luckily he had managed to stay behind the others, so that they wouldn't see him fall off. The ride had been relatively short, _thank the gods!_ And afterwards, everyone headed back to the castle, but Gendry decided he wanted to go to the forge.

Wardyl said a quick hello to him, and quickly put Gendry to work molding a breastplate, before leaving to go eat lunch. Gendry relished in the beat of his hammer hitting the breastplate, and the fire that melted his skin. Soon he became lost in his work, not a thought in his mind. After he had finally finished molding the breastplate, he took a step back, admiring his work, when a voice startled him, "You are always so enraptured with your work, d'you know that?"

He turned and saw Arya sitting on the table next to the door, "I don't think it's such a bad thing" he responded while putting the hammer to the side and pouring water over the burning coals. When he looked back to Arya, she shrugged her shoulders.

"That depends" she paused, "You could easily be killed if you're not paying attention."

Gendry huffed, not knowing how to respond. As he lifted the breastplate from the anvil to hang on the wall, he heard her ask behind him, "Why were you there earlier?"

Gendry hung the breastplate, turned back to her and shrugged, "Brienne brought me up on your sister's request. She thought I might be able to help."

Arya laughed, "Help? I don't recall you saying a single word."

Gendry attempted to glare at her but found he couldn't. Instead he felt a blush appear on his cheeks. Wanting a change of subject, he asked, "So did you come to a decision about where to go from here?"

She looked away from him, and out the window, seeking solace in the afternoon sky, "I don't care what my sister says, there is no way I'm fighting with the Frey's and Bolton's. I understand that we need the men, and we will have them."

"How?"

"By taking back what belongs to my family. After I kill Walder Frey, his men will have no choice but to follow us. With the Knight's of the Vale coming to join us, we'll have the numbers."

"And then?"

She turned her gaze back to him, "And then we go North and kill Ramsay Bolton. The North will rally to the Starks, and we will unite to fight the Others."

Gendry nodded, it wasn't a bad plan, "But what about Bolton's army? I've heard it's quite large."

Arya huffed, "He's a liar, claiming to have more men than he actually does so no one can go against him." Arya must've read the confusion on his face, so she continued, "There's no way he can have that many men still alive and fighting in the dead of winter."

Gendry nodded, he had never really thought about it. "So when do we leave for the Twins?"

"First light. Just me and the Brotherhood, and you if you want to."

He rolled his eyes, "Of course I'll come." Gendry eyed her suspiciously, "Does your sister know about this?"

Arya shook her head. "Her husband does though. I ran into him after I talked to Sansa and we planned it all out."

Gendry gave a curt nod and then they entered into a comfortable silence. As he sat there, he came to the realization that this was finally happening. Tomorrow the long battle ahead would begin. Gendry couldn't help but worry about the wolf girl in front of him. She was strong and fearless, Gendry just hoped that she wouldn't let her vengeance cloud her judgment.

Deciding to break the silence with a change in subject, he asked, "So your sister told you about Jon?"

A sad look appeared on her face, "Yes" she looked him in the eye, "How come you didn't tell me?"

He shook his head at her, "I assumed you knew, everyone in the seven kingdoms knows about Jon, that your aunt was his mother, his father a Targaryen." She nodded as he continued, "I guess that makes him your cousin then?"

"No. He will always be my brother."

Gendry nodded, wanting to comfort her, but not quite knowing how. Finally, he thought of something, "Well, look on the bright side" she looked at him in anticipation, and he laughed, "Now you know for sure that your father was honorable, and you can rub it in Dayne's face that he was wrong."

She smiled suddenly, her mood completely changed as she hopped off the table, "You're right!" At that, she left the forge, taking off towards the castle to probably tell Ned off. Gendry quickly followed after her; there was no way he was going to miss this. Their battle would begin tomorrow, his true worrying over Arya would begin tomorrow, but today, today he would enjoy.

* * *

 _ **That's it! Hope you enjoyed it! And for all of you waiting for bad ass Arya...don't worry, next chapter! Also, I see a Jon/Arya reunion sometime soon! :)**_


	25. Chapter 25: The Wolf Meets the Towers

_**A/N: Hello all! I'm so sorry for my hiatus, all I can say is that life gets in the way (and by life, I mean summer classes :p). This chapter is from Arya's perspective, and is my longest chapter yet! So I hope that partly makes up for me not posting in a while! Anyways, please enjoy! Thank you for reading and please comment! :)**_

Arya woke the next morning in her chambers with a slight smile on her face and the names of the remaining people on her list fresh on her lips. Today they would ride to the Twins, and she would be able to avenge her family. She felt bad when she thought of lying to her sister, but it had to be done. No one could know what her and the Brotherhood were about to do, not even her sister, especially her sister. It went against most honourable customs, _but screw honour_ , Arya thought, _my father died for being honourable and the Frey's have no honour_. She thought briefly then about her father, what he would think of her now. Would he be proud at the strong woman she was? Or ashamed by her past?

Arya lifted the sheets off of herself, stepped out of bed and walked over to the window. The sun was just rising over one of the many snow covered mountains the Vale contained. It was a spectacular sight, one that Arya hoped to remember, especially if things happened to go wrong tonight. She was taken from her thoughts by a soft knock on the door. Arya quickly grabbed and put her breeches, tucked in her loose tunic, threw on her leather jerkin and called for them to come in. It was Gendry. He was holding a small plate of food and had a smile on his face, "Well the Brotherhood is still here, so I took that as a sign that you were as well." He passed her the plate and she quickly began eating grapes off of it.

"I said I was leaving at first light."

He let out a laugh, "You have a habit of running away."

She rolled her eyes, "I'm not running away this time, and besides, I'm not sure where Nymeria is."

"She's at the gate." Arya rose her brow at him confused, and motioning him to continue, "I asked her to stay there. Make sure you didn't try and leave without me this time."

Now it was Arya's turn to laugh, "She's not a pet, stupid."

"But she seems to like me." Gendry smirked.

Arya finished the food on her plate and shoved it back to him, "Can't imagine why."

They stood there for a few moments in silence then, gazing out the window, looking over the mountains. After a while, Gendry turned to her, "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure". Arya turned away and began putting her boots on. She then grabbed her three daggers, strapping one to her arm, another to her opposite leg, and tucking the last one into her boot. Gendry watched her in fascination, obviously not wanting to interrupt her. Arya quickly grabbed her belt and tucked Needle into it. Finally, she looked back up at Gendry, "Let's go."

Gendry nodded and they quietly made their way down the many stairs and over to the stables where the Brotherhood were readying the horses. Gendry immediately went over to Harwin, who was holding a few weapons for him, which of course included a war hammer, _just like his father_ , Arya realised. She looked away from him, and over to Thoros who was standing before her, "All ready my Lady, just give us the word."

Arya nodded to him and quickly hopped onto a horse, drawing attention to the men. There were only about 30 of them, but Arya knew they could all fight, and Thoros had told her that there were a few more joining them at the battle. With her head held high, Arya spoke to all the men before her, "Alright then, let's head out and kill some Freys!" The all cheered around her, well, all except Gendry, who was looking at her with a sad look on his face. Ignoring his pout, Arya raised Needle above her head, gave her horse a hard kick, and they were off. The men quickly followed as she rode off into the forest, leaving the Vale and her sister behind.

* * *

They had only stopped once on their way to the Twin's. It was a long ride, especially through the blowing snow that was beginning to surround them. Arya could see that the men needed a break, and she wanted to go over strategy. The plan was for them to approach at night. If rumours spoke true, Frey had few guards surrounding his walls. The Brotherhood would emerge quietly, killing the guards and then they would make their way into the castle grounds. There would be no warning of drums, no sigil flags, just a simple battle fought in the dead of the night. Arya knew that the old swine was ill, so she figured that he would be heavily guarded. The Brotherhood would make their way into the castle as quietly as possible, killing anyone who dare stands in their way, and then head for Walder Frey's quarters. Arya had told the men that if she was absent in the presence of the old man, they were only to capture him, no kill him. He was hers to kill.

While all this was happening, a select few (Greenbeard and Harwin) would go down to find the prison cells, where Arya hoped her uncle Edmure was still kept. She never truly knew the man, but he was a Tully all the same.

After going over the plan with the men, they broke off. Some were eating, while others were sharpening their blades, smiles on their faces in the prospects of fresh kills. She smiled along with them. She turned and caught Gendry staring at her. He slowly walked over to her and gently pulled her aside, "Are you sure you don't want some kind of disguise? We don't want them to all target you."

She laughed, "We're fighting in the dark. The only face I'll be wearing tonight is my own."

He sent her a questioning look, "But you could wear others?"

She was surprised he caught on, "If I wanted to."

He looked sad, "Arya, were you one of the Faceless men? Is that where you've been this entire time?"

She turned her gaze away. This was not the time to be discussing this, "I don't want to talk about it Gendry."

He sighed and shook his head angrily, "Will you ever?"

She stared into his blue eyes for a long moment, before they were all beckoned by Thoros to get a move on. Without saying another word, she left Gendry standing there and got back on her horse.

* * *

It was dusk by the time that the Brotherhood reached the Twins. The snow gently covered the large crossing before them, and some men were complaining of the cold. All she wanted was to laugh at their weak Southern blood, but in truth, she had not even been exposed to this chill for quite some time.

They gathered near the edge of the forest, a little ways away from the King's road and tied up all the horses, leaving no one but Ned Dayne and a poor stable boy they collected from the Vale to guard them. A few men had joined the group, Arya could see, but she did not recognize them. It almost looked like there was a woman there with them. But it was rather dark and she couldn't quite make out the petite form standing in the middle of the men. She was about to go inspect the new additions, when Gendry grabbed her arm, turning her back to them, "We should get going."

She pulled her arm away, gave him a glare and turned back to see the petite figure gone from the group. She stood there confused when Thoros came up to her, "Ready little lady?"

She crossed her arms, annoyed, and nodded. They all gathered then and began the slow walk to the bridge. Right as they reached the edge of the clearing, Arya turned to Thoros, "Did you see anything about this in your fires?"

He smiled at her, "The fires do not present much these days my Lady. I saw nought but death." Arya turned away from him, but was not intimidated by his words for she planned to bring death forward tonight.

Arya was the first to step out into the clearing, with Gendry's loud presence behind her. She moved to take another step, when yellow eyes greeted her. Nymeria was standing next the crossing, staring at their approach intently. Some of the men looked quite taken aback at the sight of the large direwolf, so to ease their minds, Arya sped forward to greet Nymeria. She began petting Nymeria affectionately when a voice said behind her, "We shouldn't bring her."

Nymeria growled in response and Arya spoke for her, "She goes if she wants to." She gave Nymeria one last pat to the head before facing the men, "Alright, now lets spilt up. Thoros and Tom, take 15 men to the Western side, and the rest of us will go to the East. Wait for my signal, and then kill the guards. I will lower the gate and we will reconvene there."

Gendry moved to stand directly in front of her, confused, "You said nothing about the gate before."

She sighed, annoyed, "Of course there's a gate Gendry."

"Aye, but how are you going to get past it?"

"Just leave it to me." He sent her a sad expression that almost looked painful. He was about to beg her to continue when she said, "Thoros, take Gendry with you. We will meet at the gate."

Gendry looked at her frantically, "What? No!"

Arya looked to Thoros, who then grabbed Gendry's arm, pulling him along behind him, "It's for the best lad, don't need you stirring up trouble."

Gendry angrily wrenched his arm free, before Thoros grabbed him again with the help of Greenbeard, and they dragged him away with the other men. After they were gone, Arya turned to the remaining men and said, "Alright men, you know what to do." Some smiled at her as she nodded to them and turned, Nymeria following behind her. Most men stayed at the crossing entrance, while Lem and a few others followed her towards the tent pitched outside where Arya could hear booming laughter coming from inside. There were two guards standing outside, who had not yet noticed their presence. This was when Arya passed Needle to Lem, let down her hair, tightened her jerkin, loosened her tunic underneath, and made her way over to the guards, trying to look as innocent as possible when one barked, "Who goes there?"

Arya stepped into the light protruding from their torches and batted her eyelashes, "Just a maiden lookin' for some coin Ser."

They laughed and the one who had spoken before continued to speak, "You hearing this Almar? She calls us Ser and is looking for coin."

The one named Almar had stopped laughing and was staring at her like she was a delicious lemon cake. He licked his lips and moved towards her, "Lets bring her inside, have a proper look at her." He smiled revealing disturbingly little teeth, and then grabbed her arm, shoving her inside the tent. There were about 10 men inside, all laughing and drinking who all turned to look at her forced entry. The men looked completely drunk, which made the soon to be attack even easier.

She smiled at the men, trying to pick out the leader as Almar pushed her even further forward, "This little lady here is looking for some coin." They all boomed with laughter, except one. He was a tall man, with a serious face, and Arya assumed that her was the one in charge. The man stood up and walked over to her. To play her part she looked to the ground, as if in fear. He brought his hand to her chin and lifted her head, "Pretty little thing you are." She batted her eyelashes. The men yelled out behind them, "Let us have a go! I want a turn!"

The man holding her face raised a hand to shush them, while the other remained on her face. He smiled, "I'll take this one" he paused, lowering his hand to her arm where he gripped it hard, "I'm not sure she'll be able to handle you lot once I'm done with her." Arya pretended to struggle and be frightened as he dragged her out of the tent, passing the other guard and yelling behind him. "Almar, you're in charge of this sorry lot while I'm gone."

Almar nodded, "Of course." He smiled to Arya, "Enjoy."

The men shared a laugh, and suddenly Arya was dragged away towards the crossing. Attempting to sound scared she asked quietly, "Where are we going mi'Lord?"

He stopped for a moment, smiling at the 'mi'Lord' part, "Well I am a Lord, my fair lady, so I will take you to my knightly chambers." She giggled at his obvious lie. They were standing at the start of the long bridge, and he gently pushed her to the stone wall, cupped one of her breasts and pushed his lips harshly onto hers. Arya had played this role many times before and let him fondle her, but did not return his kiss. After what felt like a lifetime, Arya felt his weight lift off of her. She giggled as she took his hand. "I'm going to have a lot of fun with you mi'Lady. Not many women knocking on my door in the dead of winter" he said as they walked towards the gate.

She smiled sweetly at him, "I'm always happy to warm your bed."

He let out a laugh. They soon approached the gate and the man whose hand she held, waved and signalled for the gate to be brought down. As the gate was slowly dropped to meet the stone bridge, Arya reached behind her, grabbing her dagger that was strapped to her leg. The moment the gate was lowered fully, and they walked through, dropping out of sight of the gatekeeper, Arya dropped the man's hand and quickly swiveled her knee, bringing her dagger to his neck and slicing straight through. The man was dead before he even realized what had happened. Arya smiled, " _Valar morghulis._ "

Without a moments hesitation, Arya quickly pulled the body out of sight and climbed the stairs to her left, which would hopefully bring her to the gatekeeper. She silently made her way to the top, dagger in hand, and saw the gatekeeper sitting near the edge of the wall, working to close the gate again. Arya slowly walked over to stand behind him. Clearing her thoughts from her mind, she lifted her hand and sliced her dagger through his neck. He fell quickly to his left side, making no sound except for the quiet thud of his form crumpling to the ground. " _Valar morghulis_."

Arya went to the turn wheel, and began turning it the opposite way to lower the door back down. Once on the ground, Arya removed the torch from beside the turn wheel and dropped it below her, into the moat. That was the signal they had decided on, and now all Arya had to do was wait for the Brotherhood to kill the guards in the tents, and make their way over to enter the castle grounds.

When she looked to the tents, she noticed a few men stumbling about, their cries lost in the harsh winter winds. After a few minutes, the Brotherhood started making their way to the bridge, led by Nymeria, which made Arya smile. She only hoped that there wasn't anyone else watching over the towers beside her. If there was, they would alert everyone else, and the Brotherhood would be outnumbered.

When the men had left her sight as they passed under the door, Arya quickly made her way down the stairs to greet them. Nymeria immediately fell to Arya's side, and sat down. Luckily all of the men seemed to be accounted for. Thoros stood in front of the men and looked at her with a smile on his face, "No trouble at all little lady. All the lads were too drunk."

Arya scoffed, "Of course they were."

Gendry stepped forward then, and looked at her with worry etched on his face, "There is blood all over you. Were you hurt?"

Arya rolled her eyes, "It's not my blood, although by the look on your face, you're likely to faint anyways." A few men laughed, and even Gendry seemed to flash a small grin on the side of his mouth. It was really quite annoying, him worrying over her for no reason, but in truth, she worried about him as well. She was glad to see that he was unhurt and still clutching his war hammer.

Silence then passed over the men as they regained themselves, readying for the attack. Thoros gave Arya a nod and she began speaking, "Alright, so Harwin and Greenbeard, you go look for the dungeons and see if my uncle Edmure is still being held captive. The rest of you, spread out in teams of two or three and scour the castle for old man Walde, and his sons. Kill as you need to, but leave the old swine to me."

The men nodded and immediately began dividing themselves up. Lem came forth to return Needle to her, and then she gave all the men one final nod before they all spread out. A few groups went left, a few right, but Arya steered course for the middle, walking up the large staircase, Nymeria following behind her. After only a few steps, she stopped in place, causing the heavy presence behind her to stop as well. "Gendry, why didn't you go with Tom?"

He moved to stand beside her, "You said break off into groups of at least two. You are only one."

"I have Nymeria."

"Well, I'm going with you. You can't stop me from following you mi'Lady."

She sighed, "Fine. But don't do anything stupid. I can take care of myself."

"I know."

A moment later they were moving again, quietly through the long, staggering hall, where they saw no men. When they reached a corner, Arya peered around it. Down the right corridor, there were two men strolling the halls, meaning that the rooms were most likely chambers. Arya pushed Gendry to the wall beside her, Nymeria in front. They stood waiting for the guards to stroll past them, when all of the sudden, a horn blew from a few towers over. Arya looked to Gendry, who had a worried look on his face, "They are warning of our attack." Gendry just nodded, but remained still. Arya could hear the guard's footsteps in the hall picking up into a jog. She closed her eyes, letting her sense of hearing take over, revealing to her when they were five steps away. Without hesitating, Arya gripped Needle, drew one of her daggers, and jumped into the centre of the hallway, causing the men to stop dead in their tracks, confused. They drew their swords quickly as Arya advanced on them. She settled into her water dancing stance, and then quickly whirled around, Needle in the air, where it was met with the guard's steel blade. They fought hit for hit for a few moments, Gendry fighting the other guard beside her, before she finally gained the upper hand. She was far too quick for this man, and quickly spun around in the opposite direction bringing her sword close to his head, where it was met by his blade. He almost had a smile over his face, but then, she almost did as well. With her dagger in her right hand over his heart, she stabbed the man. He immediately dropped his sword and crumpled to the ground, smile leaving his face.

Arya looked down the hall twhere Gendry was still fighting the guard. Gendry was very strong, but this guard was clearly a skilled fighter, quickly advancing on Gendry, who deflected the blows of the sword with his war hammer. Arya was about to interfere and help him, when, as Gendry was deflecting a blow, brought his other arm and punched the guard in the side of his head. The guard staggered backwards, disoriented, allowing Gendry to advance and deliver one final hit.

They stood silent for a moment, before Gendry turned to look at her to see if she was hurt. She ignored his worried expression and just said, "I think this is a chambers corridor, so let's keep moving. The Lord will have a lot of guards, so his chamber shouldn't be difficult to find."

Gendry went to nod, but instead, their attention was brought to the thundering footsteps heading their way. About ten guards were running straight at them, swords at the ready. Arya quickly wiped her dagger clean on her clothes, and got in her stance again, casting a sideways glance to Nymeria who moved to stand between her and Gendry, "Ten against three, what do you think girl?"

Nymeria whined in excitement as Gendry just gave an exasperated growl. As the men got nearer, Arya decided she was tired of waiting, and took off towards them. Nymeria leaped in excitement and took off, easily passing her. Within seconds it seemed, Nymeria had two men knocked to the ground, ripping at one's throat. Arya had three men advance on her, but she took one down easily by throwing her dagger straight at his throat, causing him to whimper to the floor. The other two brought their swords toward her, but she deflected them, she was too fast. She ducked below their swords and spun, slicing through one's thigh. He let out a yell and crumpled to the floor, dropping his heavy sword which cut the cloth of her loose tunic, cutting her left shoulder.

She stood back up quickly, returning her attention to the one guard still fighting her. He was quite strong. As she met his sword, with the familiar 'clang' ringing in her ear, she could sense that she was being overtaken. This man was very skilled, and with his strength, he was pushing her up against the wall, closing in. She could see that his next move was to swing his sword across her neck region, so Arya quickly thought to duck. As she lowered her head instinctively, she did not hear the swing of his sword. Instead, she felt blood drip on her head. She looked up and saw that the man was dead with a sword sticking out through his head. She stood up and moved out from behind him, to find Gendry pulling the sword back out from the man's head.

She glared at him, "I didn't need your help."

He pulled the sword out angrily, "Whatever you say." Arya huffed, and did a quick survey of the scene before her. All guards were down, mostly due to Nymeria, who was still feasting on a few of them. A few were still twitching, but Arya didn't think that they would be able to do any damage. Arya quickly cleaned off Needle and her dagger on the dead guard's breeches, and called to Nymeria to follow her. Gendry followed also, as they moved down further down the hall. They could hear more footsteps approaching. Arya stopped, placing herself against the wall, hidden, and Gendry did the same across from her. When the men got nearer, Arya heard them speaking, "We must go to Lord Walder at once. He is too vulnerable."

The men ran quickly past them, completely oblivious to their presence, and kept going along the perpendicular hall. Without thinking, Arya ran after them, she was too blood thirsty. She wanted Walder Frey dead. She heard Gendry gently whisper her name behind her, but paid no attention to it. The stupid Bull was bringing attention to himself. Just as she thought this, she heard more noise behind her. More men had found Gendry. Arya stopped, unsure if she should go back. _No,_ she thought, _he has Nymeria, he will be fine_. And so she continued on, remaining about twenty steps behind the five men in front of her. They quickly turned right down another hallway, and then left to different one. Arya sped up her pace to keep up. As she turned another corner, she stopped dead in her tracks. One of the men had lingered behind to survey the area, and he had spotted her. She ducked behind the wall but was not fast enough, "Oi! Get back here you little cunt!"

Arya narrowed her gaze, took a deep breath, raising Needle and turned the corner. She took her stance, and the men gathered around the one that had hollered at her, and laughed, "And what's this, is the little lady asking to dance?"

She glared and went to approach him as a familiar voice called behind her, "You don't want to dance with her." Lem emerged from the shadows and stood beside her, two swords at the ready, one in each hand, "How about you ugly lot dance with me instead?"

The men scoffed, but readied their swords anyway. Lem advanced on them, and Arya followed beside him. And another fight began. Three men fought Lem, while two took on Arya. One attacked with his sword, and as Arya deflected it, she left her side open, where the other man punched her hard in the ribs. She stumbled back a step, taking in the blow, but advanced forward again. She swung Needle with her left arm, where it was met by a sword, and with her right, she swung her dagger, where it sliced through the tall man's shoulder. He winced in pain. She pulled the dagger back, still fighting with Needle in her left, struggling with her injured shoulder, and flung the dagger into the man's chest before her. He stumbled to the ground.

The other man clutched at his shoulder, but held his sword up anyway. They fought, and as their sword's met, Arya took the opportunity to hit the guy in his injured shoulder with her right arm. He lowered his sword in pain, and Arya quickly stabbed Needle right through his heart, " _Valar morghulis_."

She quickly turned and saw that Lem had taken down one man and injured another, but he was also injured himself. Arya wiped off Needle, grabbed her dagger from her boot and walked over to the fight. The injured one was standing to the side, while the other was pounding down Lem, beating him to the ground. Lem had a pretty severe cut in his ribs, with his tunic cut open and his flesh exposed. He was losing energy and blood fast, so Arya quickly intervened. Instead of letting Lem attempt to deflect the man's sword, Arya stepped in front of Lem, meeting the man's sword herself. They fought, and Arya could sense that the man had caught on to where she was slightly injured, as he kept targeting the cut on her shoulder. She tried to push back, but he was strong. In an attempt to disarm him, she accidently allowed his left arm get in front of her and hit her shoulder. She fell to her knees, not because it was painful, which it was, but because this gave her the opportunity to bring her right arm forward and stab the man in the stomach. He fell to his knees then, and looked to her face, hands clutching his stomach. She brought Needle up and pierced it through his chest.

With him dead, Arya turned and saw that the other injured one was passed out. She then turned towards Lem, to help him, but stopped dead in her tracks. Standing above Lem was the shell of her mother. The corpse she had heard rumours of for many moons. Her skin had a grey tint to it, scarring everywhere, but still it was the face of her mother. A face she had longed to see for some time. The Lady moved to shut Lem's eyes, and then quickly stood up, looking towards Arya. With no control of her emotions, or her words, Arya whispered, "Mother?"

The eyes of the soul before her seemed empty, but Arya moved closer. Her mother made no indication that she had heard what Arya had said, so Arya searched her face and eyes again, looking for some light, some happiness at seeing her daughter, but there was nothing. Arya could not see her mother's spirit, only her shell. Arya moved to try and touch her hand, but instead was shoved to the side by the cold, dead hands of her mother. Arya fell to the ground hard, but quickly looked up to see that one of the injured men had regained consciousness, and had went to attack her from behind. Her mother had pushed her out of the way, and instead, her mother received the sword, right into her chest. She fell sideways to the floor, making no sound, but keeping her gaze on Arya.

Arya rose in anger. She threw all her weight against her mother's killer and thrust him towards the wall. As he was quite injured, he could not retaliate. She punched his face, his chest, his neck, everything until she drew her dagger and delivered the fatal blow. As the man fell to the ground, she released her grip on the dagger and crumpled to the ground as well. She dragged herself over to her mother's body, removed the sword and placed her mother's head in her lap. Cold, empty eyes looked up at her. They were not filled with the Tully blue she so desperately wanted to see, nor did she have beautiful red hair. Arya felt herself shaking, clutching onto the form before her. She felt one tear fall from her cheek onto her mother. Arya clutched her eyes shut, suddenly feeling empty herself. "Mother" she whispered, " _Mother"_.


	26. Chapter 26: The Bull

_**A/N: Hello! For those of you wondering...no I haven't died. I just had some major writer's block, school was busy and all my notes mysteriously went missing from my computer. I know, excuses, excuses...I'm so sorry! I'm not in school anymore so I should have more time outside of work to write for the next four months (fingers crossed!). Anyways, here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading! And please comment...comments inspire me! :)**_

* * *

Gendry had called after Arya, but she had not listened. Instead she went on a chase all by herself. He would have followed her too, if not for the men that had arrived. Luckily, he still had Nymeria by his side, so the fight had not been a long one. Thoros also showed up for the fight, and in a manner of minutes the three of them had taken all seven men down.

Thoros looked worn out, and Gendry felt worn out, but he was too determined to find Arya and make sure that she was okay. After catching his breath, he looked to Nymeria, "Where is she?" he asked as he rubbed behind her ears, "Please take me to her" he pleaded. Nymeria gazed at him for a moment with those yellow eyes, and then stood up, quickly making her way down the dark hall where Arya had vanished. He went to follow her, but glanced back at Thoros, "Are you going to be alright?"

Thoros smiled at him, "Aye. I'll be fine lad. Tom and them were supposed to be heading this way, so I'll wait for them."

Gendry frowned, "Are you sure?"

Thoros nodded, "Yes. Go on now and make sure the she-wolf is alright."

Gendry nodded and took off after Nymeria. He was losing energy fast, but pressed on. He turned left down the dark hall and saw Nymeria waiting for him to catch up. Once he did, she took off again, Gendry following intently behind her. A few moments later, Gendry stopped when he heard a soft cry, " _Mother"_ was all he heard. He quickened his pace and finally entered a large foyer that contained dead men, and in the centre of it all, Arya, clutching onto Lady Stoneheart, releasing soft cries. Nymeria went to Arya's side and howled sadly beside her.

Gendry stood rooted in place. He wasn't sure what he should do, didn't quite know how to offer comfort, if she even wanted any. With her back to him, Gendry could still tell that she was completely and utterly broken. He didn't think he had ever seen her so vulnerable. Not knowing what else to do, Gendry glided towards her, coming to stand behind her and just whispered her name, "Arya?"

She froze at the sound of her name. She gently placed her mother's head on the floor and stood up, facing him with a dagger in her hand, ready to fight him. Her eyes looked completely black, void of all expression, as she acted like she didn't even recognize him. She didn't attack though, just stared at him, dried tears on her cheek. He raised his hands to show her that he meant no harm, and then softly whispered her name again, "Arya."

She dropped her dagger then and fell forward. Gendry quickly stepped forward and caught her in his arms. She let out one single sob, and then stayed silent in his arms. Unsure of what to do, he just held her tightly, gently rocking her from side to side as they crumpled to the floor. After what felt like an eternity, they heard a cough behind them. Arya was up in an instant, shoving him away from her. He slowly stood to see who was there, but gave Arya a sideways glance and saw that her eyes were still black.

It was Tom who had disturbed them, Thoros close behind him, limping, both had a sad look on their faces, "Sorry to interrupt my Lady, but we have Walder Frey. The Twins is ours."

Arya nodded, seeming completely indifferent to the matter. Arya began to walk towards Tom, motioning him to show her the way, before pausing to look back at her mother's corpse, as well as Lem's, "Burn their bodies." She then continued down the hall, Nymeria following behind her. Tom sent a glance to Gendry, but he simply sighed and nodded his head, telling Tom to burn the bodies.

Tom left, going after Arya, and Gendry lingered behind a moment, watching as Thoros made his way over to Lady Stoneheart. Curious, Gendry asked, "The Lady will not be brought back?"

Thoros shook his head, "The Lord of Light does not see it fit. Besides, she served her purpose. She saved her daughter and avenged her son."

Gendry nodded, "Do you think Arya will be alright?"

Thoros shrugged, "The little lady is filled with anger and vengeance. I worry it will overcome her."

Gendry could only nod. He was worried about her. It was why he had tried to block her view of Lady Stoneheart earlier. Arya did not need reminders of all she had lost. She was strong though, too strong at times, taking over her common sense. Thoros pulled Gendry from his thoughts when he said, "Gendry, you must stay with her. I have seen in my fires that there are battles yet to come, battles she will be involved in."

Gendry wanted to ask specifics about the upcoming battles, but decided against it. Instead he helped Thoros bring the bodies outside to later set up a pyre. He was just about to head back into the castle to find Arya, when he noticed men riding towards them. In the dark he could not see their sigil, so he quickly hollered out to Thoros. "Well fuck" was all he said. Gendry asked if he should go warn everyone, and get them out here to fight, but Thoros said there wasn't time. So instead, Gendry stood there, war hammer in hand, unsure of the small army marching towards them.

The men came to a halt about 100 feet away from them, and the leader emerged. He rode towards them in a slow, non-threatening pace. As he got closer, Gendry could see that this man was very large indeed. When he was about 5 feet away, Gendry heard Thoros speak beside him, "Blackfish?"

The man laughed, "Aye." He paused, looking them over, "I heard from the Vale that you were attacking the Twins, thought you might need a hand keeping it."

Thoros chuckled, "You realize that we've already taken the castle?"

The Blackfish rolled his eyes, "Trust me, I would've come earlier if I thought that the Dragon Queen wouldn't hunt me down."

Gendry gave him a confused look, "Hunt you down?"

"Aye. With her damn united treaty, the seven kingdoms must remain at peace until the war with the others is over, ' _we need every man we can get'_ nonsense. I told her, to hell with that, I want to avenge my family and get back my nephew. Then she of course threatened me with her dragons, and I ain't getting scorched by no flying beast!"

Thoros laughed, but Gendry still stood confused beside him, "If you didn't come to help, why bother coming?"

The Blackfish offered him a small smile, "I came to leave some of my men, to help keep the castle under Tully rule, that is if my nephew is still living."

Thoros nodded, "Well let's go see shall we?"

Gendry honestly didn't care if Arya's uncle was alive, he was more so worried about Arya's state. So he left Thoros and the Blackfish to go find Lord Edmure, while he went to go find Lord Frey's quarters.

* * *

When Gendry arrived at Lord Walder's quarters, Arya was already there. He quickly entered, standing off to the side with some of the other men and watched what was transpiring. Lord Walder looked very old and frail with pale, deteriorating skin and limited strength as he spoke, sat on the chair with his hands tied behind his back. "What happened to all the Stark honour, attacking an old man in the middle of the night?"

Arya huffed, "More honour than you deserve."

Lord Walder ignored her, "Your brother had no honour either, deceive me he did! He was supposed to marry my daughter, and you were supposed to marry one of my sons. He got what he deserved. Same with that bitch of a mother – "

Arya pulled her hand back and slapped him across the face. It must've been a hard hit as the old man almost went unconscious. She yelled at him then, "You disgraced the entirety of the seven kingdoms! Killing all those who had been offered guest rights, you deserve no courtesy."

The old man was silent for a moment, before finally lifting his head to look at Arya, "So then just kill me then, you little wolf bitch."

Gendry clenched his fists, anger quickly rising as the old swine disrespected Arya. He moved forward to yell at the coward, but Arya stopped him when she raised her arm behind her, sensing his anger without even turning around to look at him. She shooed him away and that just made Gendry angrier. He stayed quiet though, watching as Arya leaned in close to the old man, dagger in hand. "I could torture you. I've done many horrible things to many horrible people and do you know what I feel?" She paused, seeing if Lord Walder would respond. When he didn't she answered, "Nothing. I felt nothing. I could torture you, but I'm not one to waste time. Instead I will kill you. You will die knowing that the name of which you built your house upon has fallen. Frey's are now extinct."

At that, Lord Walder looked at her, almost with a begging look in his eyes. Arya didn't hesitate however, before slicing his throat, whispering the words she used to say at the end of her nightly prayer, " _Valar morghulis_ ".

The room only remained silent for a moment, before the men of the Brotherhood erupted in happy cheer. Gendry did not feel the need to cheer, and he could see that Arya didn't feel it either. She only nodded to Tom to burn Lord Frey's body before she left the room. Gendry followed hastily after her, calling her name, "Arya, wait!" She made no move to slow down or stop, so he sped up his pace, falling in line beside her. "Are you okay?"

"I'd be better if you let me be."

Gendry ignored her, "Well, did that make you feel better?"

"What?" she replied keeping her head facing forwards.

"Did killing Walder Frey, avenging your family, make you feel better?"

She stopped and finally looked at him, "I don't feel anything anymore."

Gendry shook his head, not willing to believe that the very spirited, wild girl he had come to know, no longer existed. "I don't believe that." He had seen how upset she was when Lady Stoneheart died, had felt her sadness and confusion. But she rolled her eyes at him as if it meant nothing at all.

"I do not really care what you believe Gendry."

He sighed when she said his name, "I don't believe that either."

Arya huffed and looked him straight in the eyes, "I am not the person I was, Gendry." She paused, searching for words, "I have seen too many things, done too many things. But I'm trying."

Gendry stared at her in amazement, getting lost in her grey eyes, neither of them saying a word until she spoke again. "You know I'd almost forgotten you, almost forgot myself as well, but do you know what made me remember?"

Gendry just gave her a questioning look, while shaking his head. "I saw a man wearing that stupid Bull's helm you liked so much. Without really knowing why, I took it and went to hide it outside of the place I was staying, when I found where I had hidden Needle. I started remembering Jon then, and the rest of my family, and you. That's why I came back."

Gendry only nodded, taking in what she had shared with him, feeling happy that she had finally shared something with him, that maybe this was progress. He, himself wanted to tell her things too, like how he had never forgotten her, how he had searched for her after the Red Wedding and cried out her name in the rain. And how he had almost believed she was dead, and how he looked after all those orphans because he could no longer look after _Arry_. But Gendry didn't share any of these things, too afraid that he would scare her away. Instead, he offered her a small smile and said, "Well I am flattered mi'Lady."

She glared at him playfully and shoved him hard in the chest, his back hitting the wall. She hovered over him, as if to shove him again, but as she looked to his face, he could see confusion in it. Before he could build up the courage to ask her about it, she stepped away from him and walked quickly down the hall to where Thoros had apparently been calling her. He stayed back against the wall, trying to regain composure before following after Arya and Thoros. He was about to go after them, when he heard whining in the darkness, "Nymeria?" She came running at him and playfully jumped on him, pushing him to the ground. She licked him once and then just stared at his face. He laughed and then sat up to pet her, "I think she'll be okay girl."

* * *

 _ **A/N: So! A more human side of Arya here, what do you think? And Blackfish! I love him, so I thought I'd put him in the story as well. Any comments/suggestions are welcome!**_


	27. Chapter 27: Arya

_**A/N: Back again! Not too long between chapters this time...I'm in a writing mood! Hope you like this one, as I really enjoyed writing it. Next one should be up within the week! As always, thank you so much for reading! Please comment and tell me what you think; what you like, what you hate, things you want to happen, any mistakes that you find...I would love to hear from you!**_

Arya was a bit surprised at herself for sharing with Gendry. She's not exactly sure what brought her to do it, but it felt strangely good to open up to someone. While with Sansa, Arya had thought about possibly sharing where she had been, who she had been, but Sansa would never understand, never look at her the same way again. Arya couldn't help but feel that she could share with Gendry. He wouldn't scare so easily. Although she was a little scared to think that Gendry would possibly think differently of her, as he couldn't quite seem to understand that she is now a different person. If Gendry couldn't accept it, she didn't need him around anyways!

Shaking her head at her thoughts, Arya walked behind Thoros, not quite sure of where he was leading her. They rounded a corner and entered a small room occupied by a large, old man, and a beaten down middle-aged man, who Arya could only assume was Edmure Tully. The large, old man beamed when he saw her, "Is this little Arya? Your mother spoke so highly of you!"

Arya couldn't imagine her mother having any nice things to say about her, she always doted on Sansa, and barely ever interacted with Arya. The man bowed before her, and she offered him a smile, "Thank you. Just Arya is fine."

He smiled reassuringly, "Of course, of course" he paused, taking in his surroundings, "Well I haven't introduced myself have I?" he laughed, "I'm your great uncle Brynden Tully, and this beside me, is my nephew Edmure Tully."

Arya nodded to each man, offering them a smile. Edmure did not seem up to smiling though, and just looked at her sadly. Before she could stop herself she asked, "Have you been locked up this entire time?"

He shook as if remembering all that had previously happened. Silently, he just nodded his head. Her great uncle slapped him on the back, and looked over at Arya, "After the war with the others is over, the old swine must've thought that they could still use him to gain pardon from the Queen" he laughed, causing the poor man beside him to wince, "Not bloody likely!"

Arya only nodded, not really amused by any of this. "Thoros told me you're here to hold the Twins?"

He nodded, "Why yes, the Starks are family and I'd like to offer assistance in any way that I can. The dragon Queen will soon know what you're up to, but I say forget her laws, we're all gonna be dead soon anyway with those damn whitewalkers on our doorstep" he chuckled, "May as well have some fun before it happens."

Thoros snorted beside her, "Couldn't agree more."

The old man nodded, "So you're going to attack the Bolton's next?"

Arya nodded.

"Well they have some men in the Dreadfort, and then most others at Winterfell. They don't have many men left from what I hear, as food is sparse in the harsh winter. Getting there will be tough seeing as houses like the Karstarks still swear fealty to Bolton. With my men and yours, we should be able to get the job done!"

Arya nodded, "I was thinking that we could send word out, voicing my return in order to hopefully gain support of those still loyal to the Starks."

Her great uncle nodded, "Can't see the harm. Once word gets out about Frey, the Bolton's should figure that we're comin', and they'll have no help from the Lannisters or Freys this time."

"The Lannisters were defeated by the Dragon Queen, yes?" Arya asked, still not quite up to date of what had happened in Westeros for the past five years.

Thoros spoke beside her, "Aye. The Queen mother had lost her children to poison, suicide, stupidity and whatnot, and decided to make herself Queen. The Dragon Queen came shortly after, and people flocked to her. Cersei was driven from King's Landing and is now, I presume, hiding away at Casterly Rock."

Arya nodded, she figured the bitch was still alive somewhere. After all this, Arya was intent on fulfilling her list.

Getting back on topic, Arya thought of other people who could offer assistance in taking down the Boltons, then immediately thought of Jon, "I was also going to write to my brother at the wall. He will help us."

Thoros sent her a weary glance, "He may have his hands full at the moment."

Arya shook her head, "I don't care. He will help."

Thoros nodded. After a silence passed between them, Brynden spoke, "Well we should get some rest. In the morning we can write the letters and send them out. In a few days' time, we will march North."

Arya nodded and turned to leave when Thoros stopped her, "We shall rest tonight, but in the morning we will set up a pyre for Lady Stoneheart and Lem, we'll have a ceremony of sorts."

Arya swallowed hard, and nodded, silently thanking him before leaving the room. As she exited the room, she sensed a familiar presence beside the doorway. She turned to look, and realized it was Gendry. He smiled at her as she moved past him. He quickly fell into step beside her. "Eavesdropping, were you?" Gendry only nodded. He kept silent, which Arya was pleased about, as she did not really feel like discussing the burning of her mother's body or battle plans at the moment. As they continued walking down the hall, she said, "Do you know where the kitchens are? I'm starving."

Gendry nodded and then pointed to the stairs. They descended the grand staircase and made a left. A few more turns and they were in the kitchens. They found some food lying around and Arya grabbed some bread and started eating. Gendry joined her, and she could feel his stare. "The men probably want a feast."

Arya rolled her eyes, "Well there isn't much food around for a feast now is there? Besides, I'm not setting foot in that dining hall."

Gendry nodded, understanding that she did not want to enter the place where her brother and mother had been killed. Gendry then changed the subject, "Are you excited to see your brother soon?"

Arya shrugged, "I'm not sure he'll even recognize me, or that he'll want to be around me after what I've done."

Gendry looked at her, a sad expression on his face, "We've all done things we wish we could take back, Arya. We're in the middle of winter, and we're in a war."

Arya nodded, suddenly curious, "How many men have you killed, Gendry?"

Gendry looked to the ceiling, thinking about it, "Sixteen, or seventeen?" he looked back at her, concern on his face, "And you?"

She turned away from his gaze, "Men? Too many to count." Out of the corner of her eye, she looked him over, trying to gage his reaction. He didn't seem at all surprised by her response. In truth, he had raised his hand, as if reaching out for her, but then realizing what he was doing, returned his hand to his side.

They sat in silence for a moment longer, finishing their pieces of bread, before Thoros came into the room. He smiled at them, "The men are filling their bellies, as it is probably the last chance we'll get at a decent meal." Arya nodded, "And we have a guest room set up for you Lady Arya."

She sighed. She knew that they would be staying there, but at the same time, she couldn't imagine having a peaceful sleep in the place where her family had been slaughtered. Reluctantly she went to follow Thoros. At the door, he turned back to speak to Gendry, "Some of our stuff took a beating, so we left it for ya in the forge." Gendry only nodded, making to leave as well, before sending her a quick glance.

* * *

It was safe to say that Arya couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she saw her fathers head, falling and rolling on the cold, hard ground. She saw her brother being killed while eating his dinner, and her mother screaming out to him. Lastly, she saw Lady Stoneheart crumble at her feet. Arya tried clearing her mind by reciting her list, and going over her plans, but it was no use. This horrid place just held too much death. It seemed that Nymeria was even getting annoyed with her restlessness, whining at the foot of her bed.

Unable to stand it any longer, Arya rose from the bed, put on her breeches and grabbed a blanket, draping it across her shoulders. She quietly put on her shoes and sent Nymeria a glance, telling her to go back to sleep. Nymeria accepted her glance and turned away from her. Arya snuck out the door, creeping down the hall. As she passed by rooms, she could hear a mixture of snores and laughter from the men that occupied them. Quietly, she made her way to the door leading to the center courtyard and opened it wide, stepping outside in the cold, whistling air. The winds weren't as harsh as they had been earlier, and as she looked to the sky, she saw that it had started snowing softly. It was beautiful, reminding her of playing in the snow as a child.

After gazing up at the sky, Arya turned her sights to the small building in front her, alight with a small fire in the centre, and smoke releasing from the chimney. Arya closed her eyes and listened for a moment at the familiar clang of metal as Gendry worked away. When the sound stopped, she opened her eyes and watched as a shirtless Gendry moved to put out the fire, _he must be going to bed_ , she thought.

Without realizing what she had been doing, Arya knew that she had sought him out, knowing that with all the haunting memories of the past, her past, there was some comfort in his presence. Silently, Arya stood rooted in place, watching as he moved around inside the forge. He had put out the fire, and was now rinsing his tools in water. After, he lifted the top blanket of the small cot in the corner, which she was able to see thanks to the candle beside it, and he sat, taking off his boots. He then stood again, untying the laces of his breeches, which he then took off, leaving him in his smallclothes.

Arya couldn't help but feel like she should look away, he would be embarrassed if he knew she was watching him. Arya wanted to laugh at the thought of his cheeks turning beet red, but found that she couldn't. Delaying no further, she made her way over, losing sight of him, and quietly pushed open the door. He must have just gotten into the cot, because when she entered he jumped, startled, grabbing the blanket in attempts to cover himself. Looking up, he finally realized who it was, "Arya?"

She nodded, moving towards him, coming to stand beside the bed. "Can I stay here?" she asked softly. When he didn't respond right away and just remained staring at her in surprise, she continued, "I can't sleep in that place."

He sent her a sad smile and nodded, "Of course." He went to grab for his things and move them to the floor, giving her the cot, but she was too fast for him. Before he could realize it had happened, Arya had hopped in the cot with him, quickly curling up into a ball against his side. He was very warm, with slight beads of sweat from his work still trickling down his chest. As she went to close her eyes, feeling comfortable for the first time in a long time, he tensed beside her, still half sitting up, "Arya" he grumbled.

"Mmm?"

"I should sleep on the floor."

"Mmm" was all she said, suddenly too sleepy to talk. When he made no move to go to the floor, he sighed.

"This isn't right."

Reluctantly she opened her eyelids, looking up at him, trying to ignore the fact that he was practically bare before her. He had such a hurt and confused look on his face, as if he was in pain. She gently poked him in the rib, causing him to look her in the eye.

She held his gaze as she said, "When have I ever cared about what is right?"

He sent her a small smile, with pain still evident in his eyes, before sighing again and moving to lay down, blowing out the candle as he went. She stirred slightly, nuzzling herself against his bare chest, where he was just radiating heat. After a while, Gendry seemed to relax beside her, and moved to put his arm around her, hand landing on her shoulder. Arya was asleep in an instant.


	28. Chapter 28: Gendry

Gendry woke the next morning feeling cold. He quickly opened his eyes at the realization that the reason he felt cold was that Arya was gone. At first he thought he'd completely imagined her there, would've believed it too if not for her scent on the bed sheets. Yes, a scent he knew very well, like fresh trees with a hint of vanilla. He sighed, breathing it in once more, wondering what time she had left and gone back to her own quarters. _It's for the best_ , he tried to convince himself, even thought he couldn't help but feel less whole without her there.

Shaking his head at his thoughts, he slowly got out of bed and began getting dressed. He peeked out the window and saw some of the Brotherhood setting up the pyre, about 100 feet from the castle doors. Looking to get some work done before breakfast, Gendry moved to light the fire in the forge and was soon pounding away at the few swords Thoros had left him to repair.

It took some time for him to finish, as this forge appeared to have been empty for some time, with rusting, dull-edged tools. Soon enough he was finished though, and set down the tools. He moved to sit on the cot, hoping to cool down before having to put his shirt back on and go have breakfast. As he sat, he replayed the night before in his head. He understood why Arya could not sleep in that place, but surely they could have set up a tent for her elsewhere? Maybe she just needed warmth? He had been shocked, to say the least, to see her standing in his doorway, and then immediately come to stand beside his cot. And he had just sat there, startled like a little Lady, feeling exposed. She had seen him shirtless in the past, many times, but somehow this felt different, her stare more intense. And he had tried to push her away and sleep on the floor, tried to do the right thing, but she was having none of it. He had reluctantly given in, he would always give in when it came to Arya, and let her share the bed with him. If anyone from the Brotherhood, or her uncle's house found out, surely he would now be without a cock. Because no matter how wild and dangerous Arya acted, she was a Lady and a princess of the North, and it would be best if he remembered that.

He made a promise to himself then that he would not let it happen again, he would help her, protect her, fight for her during the day, but at night he would steer clear. He sighed at the thought, saddened because he had really enjoyed having her small form next to him, nuzzled to his chest, sending sparks all throughout his body. He had enjoyed that when she stirred in the night, muttering out nonsense, he was able to stop her and calm her down by pulling her closer to him. Gendry huffed, this was going to be harder than he thought.

Delaying no further from the prospect of seeing her, Gendry pulled on his shirt and grabbed his furs, before making his way over to the castle to break his fast. On his way, he passed by Greenbeard and Harwin, carefully lifting Lady Stoneheart's body onto the pyre. He sent them a nod, pausing to ask if they needed help. They declined his offer, and as Gendry went to move, he felt someone's gaze on him. He instinctively looked up and saw Arya watching the scene before her from a second story window. She appeared to be sitting on the window bench, knees curled to her chest, looking sadly at him, before moving her glance to Lady Stoneheart. He sent her a soft smile, which she did not return before leaving the window, now lost from sight.

* * *

He had eaten in the kitchen with Arya again, knowing that she would not want to eat in the dining hall. She didn't say a word to him, and just ate in silence, as members of the Brotherhood bustled around them, irritating the poor women who were trying to prepare the meal. From what Gendry understood, some of these women are Frey's actual daughters and granddaughters. From all he had heard about the old swine, he wasn't surprised to see that most of the women weren't mourning their father/grandfather at all.

After breakfast, the whole Brotherhood headed outside for the ceremony. Gendry stood near Arya at the front, not wanting to be too far away, and Nymeria was at her side. Thoros said the words of the Lord of Light, while Greenbeard lit the pyre at the bottom. They all watched and listened in silence, saying their final goodbyes to their friend Lem, and their leader, Lady Stoneheart. Gendry couldn't help but glance over at Arya, seeing her face neutral, and her eyes void of all expression. He thought that she would be sad, like she had seemed earlier, and like yesterday when the Lady had fallen, but she wasn't sad. The thought scared Gendry.

In a matter of minutes, Thoros was finished, and the bodies were ablaze. Some of the Brotherhood started resuming normal conversation, while others, Gendry could hear, were discussing who their next leader would be. The discussion spread among the men, before being brought to Thoros' attention. He moved in front of the pyre and turned to face the men, clearing his throat before he asked over the crackling fire, "Well men, who should we have as our new leader? The Lady did not spread the Light before she left, so it is up to us to choose."

The men nodded in understanding. Gendry hadn't really given it much thought, not that it really mattered as he was going to help Arya until the war was over and she could return home. Although the Brotherhood had agreed to come and assist Arya against the Boltons. As he continued to think on it, Harwin stepped forward, "I believe the Lord of Light did choose another" he paused, glancing at Arya who only narrowed her eyes at him, "The Lady gave her life for her daughter, a young lady who we all know is more than capable of being a leader and a fighter. I elect Arya Stark to be our leader."

To Gendry's surprise, the men erupted in cheers, all nodded along in agreement at the prospect of having a girl at seven and ten as their leader. Confused, Gendry looked to Arya and saw that she wasn't at all surprised by her nomination, in fact she nodded to Harwin, as if they had discussed it before. Gendry couldn't believe it! Did she really want to be in charge of these unruly men? They hadn't been much of a 'brotherhood' since the day Beric died. And given the chance, most of them would probably bed her. _No_ , Gendry thought, _I don't like this at all_.

Not being able to stand it any longer, Gendry turned away and stalked to the forge. Within minutes, he was working on an old breastplate that had just been hanging on the wall, belonging to no one in particular. With every pound, he tried to clear his mind, but all he could think was, _why didn't she tell me?_

* * *

After working out some of his anger, Gendry had a bath and then went in search of Arya. He asked Tom where she was, and he told him that she was in the maester's chambers writing letters to the Northern houses. When Gendry knocked on he door, he heard a voice he didn't recognize telling him to come in. Gendry slowly opened the door and found Ned Dayne sitting at a desk, seeming to scribe what Arya was telling him. On the other side of the room stood the Blackfish, listening. Before him, sat Arya on the bed, getting her shoulder patched up by who he could only assume, was the maester.

The Blackfish acknowledged him with a nod, as did Ned when he looked up. Arya, it seemed though, was ignoring his gaze. Annoyed, he cleared his throat, interrupting Arya mid-sentence, "Apologies m'Lady" that earned him a glare, "Could I speak to you a moment?"

"I suppose so, _Ser_." She shifted her gaze to Ned and the Blackfish, motioning them to leave.

Gendry closed the door once the men had left. He turned back to Arya, "Why didn't you tell me you had planned to lead the Brotherhood?"

Arya let out a laugh, "Should it really be called a 'brotherhood' now that it is run by a woman?"

Gendry sighed, "Don't change the subject, m'Lady". She chucked a pillow at him, which he instinctively caught.

After a moment of sending each other glares, she spoke again, "Why shouldn't I lead them? I'm smarter than most of the them, and I can give them a cause to fight for. That's all they really want."

"But they are the 'Brotherhood without Banners', yet you expect them to follow your banner?"

Arya rolled her eyes, "I'm not raising any banner, I'm doing this for myself. What happens afterwards is up to them."

He sighed, moving to sit in the chair next to the bed, "These aren't the best of men, Arya."

She hit him in the shoulder, "I know, you stupid Bull! They were going to ransom me when I was only a child."

Gendry nodded, "Well Thoros and Harwin are alright, but the others" he paused, wondering if he should even say it, before pressing to continue "the others likely voted for you with the prospect of bedding you."

Arya laughed, "Let them think that, if it means they'll follow me."

Gendry leaned back in surprise, "You can't mean that!"

Arya bit her lip, thinking out her response. She brought her gaze back to his, those grey eyes piercing his soul as she said, "I've allowed men more privilege before in order to get them to do what I want."

Gendry gulped, not believing the words coming out of her mouth. Surely she couldn't mean that she had practice enticing men. Had she kissed other men, lured other men? The thought of another man fawning over her made him angry. And the fact that these thoughts were making him angry made his cheeks redden. Sure, he had kissed women before, done some things with them, but that had all been a mistake. After Arya had been kidnapped by the Hound, the Brotherhood allowed him to find solace in ale, and frankly, he had not responded well to it. He couldn't remember the whore's names, barely remembered anything that had happened those few nights. He regretted it though. The moment he had sobered up a few mornings later and discovered his surroundings, two women in his bed, he swore to himself that he wouldn't give in to the 'bastard' stereotype. He could be better. But looking at Arya now, he knew he would never be good enough for her, no one would ever be good enough for her. And the thought that she had allowed some man to defile her, made him sick to his stomach.

Not knowing how to respond to her, he just stared at her for a moment, biting her lip. _Damn that lip,_ he thought. He quickly moved his gaze to the floor. Not being able to withstand her intense gaze any longer or the sick feeling in his stomach, Gendry abruptly stood up, causing his chair to fall to the ground. He hastily picked it up, ignoring Arya's sneer. As he went to walk towards the door he said, "Right. As long as you know they're not trustworthy" he nodded to himself then sent her a nod, "I'll leave you to your letters, m'Lady."

Arya glared him out the door, "Thank your, Ser."

He closed the door behind him and turned down the hallway, seeking fresh air. Thoros was there, as if waiting for him to come out of the room. Gendry wondered if he had heard his conversation with Arya. Gendry stopped, sensing Thoros wanted to talk. Thoros put a hand on his shoulder, "So lad, the ladies tell us that the little lady was not in her bed last night." He raised his brow, "Happen to know anything about that?"

Gendry swallowed and shook his head. Thoros smirked, clearly not believing him. "Look Gendry, you're a good lad, we're happy to have ya' around, but ya' have to remember yer place. When this is all over, she'll marry some prissy Lord and forget all about ya'. No sense in getting yer hopes up."

Gendry didn't respond, couldn't respond, avoiding Thoros' gaze and looking to the ground beneath him. Thoros gave him one last slap on the back before heading in the other direction. Now alone, Gendry scratched the back of his head, pondering what Thoros was implying. Surely he knew that Gendry would never disrespect Arya. He cared about her immensely, _maybe too much_ , he thought, blushing. No, Thoros probably just figured that as Gendry is just a low-born bastard, of course he would take advantage of Arya. He knew he wasn't good enough for Arya, but he doubted any Lord would be either, not that he could even imagine Arya marrying anyone, let alone some prissy Lord. Shaking his head in anger at his status, at hers, Gendry stomped his way back to the forge seeking solace.

 _ **A/N: And so ends another chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Please, please, please comment, I love to get feedback! Next chapter will be from Arya's perspective. I've almost finished it, and am quite happy with it, so it should be up next week. And for those of you patiently waiting for these two stubborn lovebirds to finally kiss...you won't have to wait much longer. ;)**_


	29. Chapter 29: Arya

_**A/N: Here it is, as promised! I hope you all enjoy reading it! Especially near the end, *wink wink*. The next chapter will pick up right where this one left off, and I will probably post it within the week.**_

 _ **Also, for those readers out there who didn't like my whole 'Gendry with a few whores' thing, I know. I didn't like it much either. I just didn't want Gendry to be completely innocent and inexperienced, and I also didn't want him to have strong enough feelings for a character other than Arya, because that just didn't make any sense to me. Anyways, Gendry was depressed, and let the Brotherhood talk him into doing something he didn't want to do. We all do things we regret sometimes, and that's what it is for Gendry.**_

 _ **I hope that clears it up a bit and please let me know any other concerns you have! Thank you for reading and commenting! Please keep the comments coming, I love them! :)**_

* * *

Arya couldn't help but laugh as she watched Gendry uncomfortably get up and leave the room. She had only been slightly teasing him, payback for all the times he had teased her on the road. Not that what she said wasn't true, of course it was. Her time as a faceless man taught her to use the fact that she was a woman to her advantage. She wasn't ashamed of it, if anything, it had made her job easier. It was much cleaner to lure a man away to kill him by enticing him as a woman, than confronting him as a man. She had never let it get too far though, as she was not interested in intimate relations with men. They had kissed her and touched her, but she would always kill them in the end, enacting her vengeance. Not that she would tell Gendry any of this. As a man, and a stupid one at that, he probably wouldn't understand, might even judge her for it. She couldn't help but wonder though, if he had finally 'manned-up', as the Brotherhood would say, and bedded a woman. She couldn't quite picture him with other woman, but she knew that other women were drawn to him, drawn to his muscles and kind demeanor. Arya imagined that yes, Gendry had bedded women before. Men were all slaves to their cocks after all. But the thought made Arya angry. She shouldn't care what whores' bells he was ringing, but she did, and that confused her.

As for what he said about the Brotherhood, Arya wasn't stupid, she knew that a lot of the men were enticed by her. A strong female, who was pretty enough, she supposed, amidst a brotherhood of men. They wouldn't dare try anything though, Arya thought, lest they find out what would happen to them if they did.

Smiling to herself, attempting to forgo thoughts of Gendry, Arya stood from the bed and moved to the doorway to call out for her great uncle and Ned to return. She was about to do just that when she heard Thoros talking around the corner, "- Gendry, you're a good lad, we're happy to have ya' around, but ya' have to remember yer place. When this is all over, she'll marry some prissy Lord and forget all about ya'. No sense in getting yer hopes up."

Arya held in a gasp. It was obvious that they were talking about her. Arya was confused though, why would Thoros approach Gendry about such matters? And did Thoros really think that she would marry a Lord? In the past, Arya had always said that she would refuse if someone asked for her hand, and she certainly had not changed her mind! The thought of marrying some high and mighty lord who only had her around to do his bidding and provide children was absurd. She hadn't really given much thought to what would happen afterwards anyway. Assuming that they won their battles and survived, Arya assumed that Rickon would become Lord of Winterfell, or Bran, if he is still alive. As for her, she wanted to complete her list and then be done with the whole thing. She didn't want to live by anyone's rules or expectations, she wanted to be free, like the Wildlings she had heard about. She just wanted to run away, like 'Wenda the White Fawn', possibly taking Gendry with her.

Arya sighed, telling herself not to worry about the future seeing as it was so uncertain. Instead she turned her thoughts to the last thing Thoros had said, "No sense in getting yer hopes up." Did Thoros mean that Gendry was interested in her? What a strange thought! She would admit that they were friends, and that she almost trusted him completely. And she would also admit that she really didn't mind having him around as he often offered a warm, calming presence. Especially when he had calmed her down in the middle of the night when she was continuously having nightmares. He must've thought her still asleep, but as he pulled her against him, she woke, nuzzling further into his bare chest.

Arya felt herself beginning to blush. She bit her lip in annoyance, telling herself not to be privy to such thoughts! Angry at herself, she decided to just wait until Thoros and Gendry had cleared away to yell for Ned. So she stood, listening to hear for Gendry's response. He didn't respond though, instead it sounded like he just walked away. The next thing she knew, Thoros was walking towards her. As he passed, he sent her a questioning look, probably wondering if she had been listening. In return she sent him a glare. She was going to confront him, but was drawn away when Ned approached her.

"Ready to continue, my Lady?" he asked with a smile on his face.

Arya nodded, "Sure."

* * *

After a long while, Arya and her great uncle had finally reached an agreement on the contents of the letters, which dear Ned was writing for them. When he finally finished, he handed over the scrolls to them to sign. Arya moved over to the desk, taking a quill in hand, and began reading over the letter.

 _Lords and Ladies alike,_

 _We are writing to inform you of the return of Lady Arya Stark of Winterfell, Princess of the North. We are looking for the allegiance of the houses still true to the Stark cause to call up their banners and join us. Battle is imminent and looming near, please join House Stark, Tully and the Knights of the Vale in restoring the North to it's true leaders. All those opposed are now enemies of the Starks, and will be treated so._

 _Regards,_

 _Arya Stark_

 _Brynden Tully_

 _Edmure Tully_

Arya had wanted to write exactly what would happen to those opposed, but her great uncle had decided that wasn't in their best interests. Ready to be done with this, Arya signed the letters and then handed them to her great uncle to sign. She then excused herself, taking two scrolls and a quill to go to her guest chambers and write the letters to Jon and Rickon. Once at her room, she lit the candle on the desk and began writing.

 _My dearest brother Jon,_

 _I am still calling you brother, because despite what people tell me, that's what you are to me. I hope this letter doesn't completely surprise you as I assume by now, you've heard from Sansa about me, as well as about my taking the Twins. You can correctly assume that I will soon make my way North to defeat Bolton. From what I hear, you have your hands full with the threat of the others, but I am asking you to please gather all the men you can in these harsh winter times, and march slightly south to help retake our home. Once it is returned to us, I will take all my men and help you defeat the whitewalkers once and for all._

 _After writing this letter, I will write a similar one to Rickon, who I hope to reunite with soon. I hope to be reunited with you too, so that Ghost can be with his sister Nymeria, and you may once again rustle my hair and call me 'little sister'._

 _Yours,_

 _Arya_

Happy with her letter to Jon, she folded the parchment and sealed it with a wax seal of the Tully sigil, as it was the only one she had access too. After, she wrote a similar note to Rickon, hoping that he would believe it was her. It would be more difficult to convince him as he was just a young boy, not yet 5 when Arya departed for King's Landing with her father and Sansa. Heck, she could barely picture her young brother, especially not now, as a young man of one and ten.

Sighing, she picked up her letters, blew out her candle and headed towards the maester's quarters. When she arrived, she promptly handed him the letters and told him to send them out right away. She watched as he did it, and quickly thanked him before leaving to go eat supper. As it was already pretty late, there were not many people lingering about the kitchens, allowing Arya to eat in silence. When she finished munching on the bread, she headed out towards the stable to check in with the Brotherhood on preparations, as they had planned to leave the next day, not wanting to patiently wait for houses to respond.

As she approached, she saw all the men bustling about, gathering furs, cloaks and all the food they could find, packing it in saddlebags and carts for their long journey through the harsh Northern winter. To her right, she saw Ned tending to the horses. She went up to him, and gave him a curt nod, when he noticed her approaching. "My Lady, all finished with your letters?"

"Yes, thank you Ned."

He nodded, smiling at her. She offered him a small smile in return before continuing, "How are preparations coming? I want everything to be ready by the morning."

"We've gathered most of our supplies, your great uncle has as well, so now we are just packing."

Arya nodded, "Right. Do you think the horses will be alright in this weather?" she asked as she stroked Ned's sand steed before her.

Ned let out a sigh, "I think they should fare alright my Lady" she refrained from rolling her eyes, "We'll just need to have frequent stops, to give them rest."

"Yes, my great uncle tells me there is an Inn about a day's ride from here. We will stop there tomorrow night."

Ned nodded, "I will let the others know."

"Thank you Ned."

He gave her one last smile before she turned to leave. She went back towards the castle and up to her room. Once there she gathered her things (her extra set of clothes and her daggers) and put them into a small sack. She kept Needle at her waist, and then bringing her bag with her, she left her room and headed to the baths. She gave herself a thorough scrub, allowing her long hair to fall from it's braid, giving it a gentle wash. When she finished, she dressed again and went to braid her hair, but decided it against it, letting her hair drape over her shoulders, already starting to wave. With one last disdainful look in the mirror at the practical stranger before her, Arya gathered her things, putting her furs across her shoulders, and headed down the stairs.

As she opened the doors to walk outside, she was invited with silence, as everyone had long since gone to bed. Clutching her furs to her chest, she made her way over to the forge. When she opened the forge door, she was welcomed with a warm site. Gendry was already asleep in his small cot, lying on his back with one arm overhead. And beside him on the floor lay Nymeria, who rose her head in greeting. Arya smiled at the sight and leaned down, slowly stroking Nymeria's back. After a few minutes, Arya rose to her feet again, and quietly put down her bag. She then removed Needle, and took off her boots before pulling the cot blankets down and hopping in to bed beside Gendry.

He surprisingly didn't wake when she nestled in closer to him, instead just reached out his right arm to pull her closer. Arya welcomed his warmth. The next few days would be sure to test them, with the harsh winter making travel conditions impossible, not to mention the upcoming battle with the bastard Bolton. She would cherish this warmth though, for as long as it was offered, for she did not know when it would be offered to her again.

Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, Gendry shifted slightly beside her. Arya opened her eyes and peeked at him, he still seemed to be asleep. He let out a long sigh before drawing her near, coming to rest his chin on the top of her head, and softly whispering her name, _"Arya_ ". Not wanting to give it too much thought, Arya simply closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

* * *

Arya awoke the next morning to a loud clanging sound. She moaned grumpily at the thought of Gendry banging away at something or rather this early in the morning. Groaning, she opened her eyes and stretched her arms above her head. She turned over to see Nymeria sitting beside the cot, and as Arya acknowledged her with a gentle pat, Nymeria wagged her tail.

As she went to get up, Gendry spoke to her, his back to her as he worked away on horseshoes, yet still able to realize she had awoken. "Mornin' m'Lady."

She groaned, "It's pretty early to be blacksmithing Gendry."

Still with his back turned he replied, "Sorry to intrude on your precious sleep, but I had work to do, and you weren't even supposed to be here."

Arya looked at his back strangely, willing him to look at her, "I told you the other night that I couldn't sleep in that place."

He groaned, annoyed at her for some reason, "Doesn't mean you have to sleep here."

Raising her brow, she asked, "Was I taking up too much room?"

Gendry huffed, finally looking towards her, with a bewildered expression on his face, "That's not it and you know it." She couldn't help but notice how his cheeks slightly reddened at his admission.

Arya let out a laugh, "I don't see what the big deal is Gendry, we slept next to each other all the time on the road."

Gendry shook his head, getting angrier he yelled, "You were just a child then Arya!" he paused, turning his back to her, trying to calm down. After a few tense moments he let out a sigh, and said softly, "Yer a woman now, soon to be a proper Lady. You shouldn't be anywhere near a bastard like me."

Arya leaned back in surprise, her eyes wide with shock. She knew he had always been hung up on their class differences, but surely it couldn't still bother him. These were different times, and Arya doubted anyone would regard her as a Lady with everything she had done, and was planning to do. After a long silence, with Gendry just standing before her, back turned, stilled in movement, and her, frozen with surprise, she finally stood from the cot and walked over to him. She gently placed her hand on his left arm, willing him to turn and face her. He didn't though, instead just jumped slightly at her touch. As softly as she could manage, she asked, "Is this because of what Thoros said?" When he didn't respond or look at her, she continued, "Because I don't care what they think Gendry. You are a better man than all of them. Heck, you are probably better than most Lords."

He lowered his head as if he didn't believe her. Shaking her head in annoyance, Arya moved to stand in front of him, lifting his chin with her hand, forcing him to look at her. When he finally met her fierce gaze with his sad blue eyes she said, "And you and I both know that I'm no lady." She offered him a smile and after a moment, his lip began to turn up into a small smile. Not thinking about her actions, only thinking about how she wanted to make him feel better, Arya pulled his face down to meet hers, softly brushing his lips with hers.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Gah! It's happening! :D**_


	30. Chapter 30: Gendry

_**A/N: Hey everyone! So this chapter is more of a filler chapter before the plot really picks up in the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it! :D**_

* * *

Gendry was in complete and utter shock. Not only had Arya complemented him, something seemingly unfit to her character, but she had also kissed him! As her lips gently brushed his, he stood there, bewildered. Going against all of his instincts to stop this, Gendry instead looped his arms around her small waist and lifter her slightly off the ground, pulling her flush against him, deepening the kiss. Surprised herself, Arya took a moment before fully responding and placing her arms around his neck.

This was better than he had ever imagined! For years he had thought about those lips, especially when she bit them, wondering if they were as soft as they looked. They did not disappoint! He couldn't help but wonder if she'd had practice as her lips moved skillfully in sync with his. With one hand still around her waist, he moved the other up and ran it through her luscious wavy hair, gently biting on her lower lip, the one he often fantasized about. She moaned quietly, seeming to have the same idea, running her nails through his black hair. He moaned loudly in response.

It was then that he realized what he was doing, and who he was doing it with. He froze, mustering all his strength to draw back his head and stop the kiss. Arya grumbled as he set her on the ground and disentangled his arms from hers. She withdrew her arms as well and stepped away from him, looking at him with her flushed face and full lips. Gendry groaned in frustration, taking his head in his hands, "You can't do that Arya!"

"Do what?"

Gendry huffed in disbelief, "You know exactly what" he raised his head and pointed at her, "This isn't right. I know that you don't care, but I do!" he pointed to the door, "They do! They'd have my head for this!"

Arya rolled her eyes at him, "As if I'd let them."

Gendry sighed at her response, removing his head from his hands and looking her in those big, stunning grey eyes of hers. He moved closer to her then before quietly asking, "Why did you do that anyway?" She was silent for a moment and he feared her answer.

In a small voice, she finally replied, "To make you feel better."

Gendry sent her a sad look before looking to the ground, feeling his heart break slightly at her words. He should have figured that she had only done that out of pity, Arya wasn't one for emotions or intimate gestures. Rubbing his hand against his forehead, still looking at the ground, fearing the thought of looking her in the eye he said, "I think you should leave Arya." He pointed to the door.

He could tell from her silence, that she was unhappy with his response. When she made no move to leave, he asked her again. She responded this time with a simple, "No."

Feeling anger boil from within, he raised his head and looked at her. Confusion was written all over her face, as if she couldn't understand what had happened between them. That look didn't make the anger dissipate though. He huffed at her and moved past her, picking back up his hammer. He grabbed a horseshoe and put it on the anvil. Before he began pounding away, he lifted his head and spoke to her back, as she was still frozen in place, "Right, cause' I'm just a bastard, and no Lady takes orders from a bastard."

She turned quickly towards him, and he met her gaze briefly, filled with sadness, before he looked down at the anvil and began pounding away. A second later, Arya stomped out of the forge, slamming the door behind Nymeria as she followed her out. Gendry sighed as he looked to the door, regretting what he had said to her. He didn't want to hurt her. But she had hurt him. Shaking his head, he turned back to the anvil and began pounding away with renewed force.

* * *

The rest of the morning had only been somewhat excruciating. Gendry finished with the horseshoes and brought them out to the Brotherhood, and then went back to the forge and gathered his things, preparing to leave. He closed the door to the forge and walked out to the main courtyard where all the men had gathered, saddling up all the horses. Gendry tightened the strings of his furs, as it was already very chilly out, winter winds whistling past their ears.

There was about 200 men in total travelling with them, most belonging to the Tully's and some from the Brotherhood. The Knights of the Vale would be meeting up with them hopefully, in just a few days' time. Gendry moved up to stand beside Harwin, who was near the front of the small army. He sent Gendry a nod, and gestured for him to take the horse beside him. Gendry nodded his thanks and began putting his hammer and few other supplies in the horse's saddlebag. When he finished, he turned to see that Arya was nearby, leading the crowd of men with the Blackfish and Nymeria beside her.

It was difficult to see her. Hair braided now for the long journey, large black fur surrounding her small frame that only hours ago had been curled up next to him. He had been startled when he woke up to find her beside him. He should've known that she would come back to sleep there again. He should've slept on the floor. What had he been thinking? So far he was doing a horrible job of keeping his distance, he had bloody kissed her! Well, she had initiated it.

Thinking of why she initiated the kiss infuriated him. She wanted to make him feel better, meaning she pitied him. He didn't need her pity, he knew what he was, just a servant to m'Lady high. He grumbled at the thought.

He was drawn from his misgivings when he heard an angry Arya behind him. He turned and saw that she was in a heated discussion with the Blackfish, "Don't waste someone else's horse on me, I am going to ride Nymeria and meet up with the rest of the wolf pack."

The Blackfish laughed, "I don't think that's the safest thing to be doing. We should stick together."

Arya growled at him, irritated that she wasn't getting what she wanted. While Gendry was still mad at her, he would always help her. He stepped closer to them, coming to stand behind Arya while he spoke to the Blackfish, "M'Lord, Lady Arya rides her wolf quite well, and she will be safe with the pack."

Arya turned and huffed at him in disbelief, "I don't need your help Gendry!" She turned back away from him and mounted Nymeria, turning to her great uncle saying, "I'm taking Nymeria. I will meet you at the Inn at nightfall."

The Blackfish only nodded as they all watched her take off on Nymeria's back into the forest. Gendry stood there, confused. Was she mad at him? Sure, he hadn't said the nicest thing to her, but she had hurt him fifty times over! Annoyed, he turned his back and went to mount his horse. As the men began riding, Tom came up beside Gendry and let out a laugh, "Havin' a little lover's spat, are we?"

Gendry only growled in response, and gave his horse a gentle kick, telling it to go faster. As he started to get ahead of Tom, all he could hear behind him was Tom laughing before he started to whistle 'No featherbed for Me'.

* * *

The days' ride had been a rough one. Winter had certainly come as they moved farther north. The winds became unforgiving, and Gendry had given up trying to look ahead, and instead just trusted the horse's instinct. They had stopped several times, giving the horses some rest, while the men just huddled together for warmth. They never stopped for long though, as they did not want to get too cold standing still in the deep snow.

After what seemed like an eternity, they had finally reached the inn. Relieved, Gendry hopped off his horse and put him in the stable. They fit as many horses as they could in the stable, and left a few men there to care for them and exchange them. The inn was large, however, probably not large enough for all of them. Gendry turned back to where the horses were and noticed several men starting to set up tents around the perimeter. As he wondered whether or not he would be sleeping outside, Harwin came up beside him and slapped him on the shoulder, "Come get some food Gendry, we'll worry about sleeping arrangements later."

Gendry nodded, following Harwin inside. The inn was a very busy place, full of men attempting to find places to sit and eating everything they could off of the trays being passed around. Harwin was talking to Gendry, but as the place was so loud, he couldn't quite hear him. So instead, Harwin gestured over to the far right side of the room, where Gendry could now see most of the Brotherhood were sitting. He followed Harwin and took a seat next to him, with Tom on the other side. Gendry looked down the long table and could see Arya at the end, seated next to Thoros and Ned. She either did not notice Gendry's presence, or was choosing to ignore it. Gendry would bet it was the latter. Gendry couldn't help but look at her though, deep in conversation with Ned Dayne. _Probably about stupid Lord and Lady things_ , he thought, grumbling to himself. Annoyed at Ned for talking to Arya, Gendry finally pulled his eyes away and stared directly at the food before him, trying not to think about her.

Gendry ate in silence, listening in as the Brotherhood discussed the rumors surrounding Ramsay Bolton, before moving on to discuss how cold it was and how the were not much looking forward to fighting in these unpredictable conditions. Arya finally piped in, coming to her senses about talking to the boring Ned Dayne, "That's what makes it more exciting doesn't it?"

Thoros laughed beside her, "Guess it does my Lady."

After the men had calmed down from their laughter, Harwin turned to Thoros and asked, "So where are we sleeping tonight?"

Thoros shrugged, "We can try and find some room in here, but it might be the tents for us tonight boys."

They all groaned in response before Arya spoke again, "They gave me a room to myself, but there's plenty of floor space if a few of you don't want to sleep outside."

Gendry stared at her, surprised, although he shouldn't be, seeing as she probably didn't think this was a big deal. Harwin seemed to agree with him though, "I don't know that we should my Lady."

Arya rolled her eyes, "Nymeria will be with me, so nothing to worry about there." The men were silent, contemplating the meaning behind her words. Arya moved to stand, pushing her empty plate away from her, "Well if you all want to sleep out in the cold, fine by me."

The men started to object, fighting over who would get to sleep inside. Just before Arya turned to walk up the stares, she sent him an intense stare. Gendry wasn't sure if that meant that he should sleep inside or outside. Just when he was about to leave the inn and go find a tent, Nymeria came up behind him and gave him a gentle shove with her head, in the direction of the stairs. He laughed as he let her push him all the way up the stairs. He turned and kneeled down, stroking her neck, "Aren't you supposed to hate me too?"

A familiar voice behind him made him jump, "I don't hate you."

Gendry stood quickly, turning to see Arya standing in the doorway with her hair loose, dangling over her left shoulder. She looked beautiful. "You don't?"

Arya huffed and crossed her arms, "No, stupid. I am a little annoyed, but I don't hate you."

Gendry nodded, then looked to the floor, "Well, I don't hate you either."

"I know." Gendry looked up to see a soft smile light play on her lips, lips that he longed to kiss again.

There were so many words left unsaid between them, but Gendry didn't think it was the right time to bring it up. They had long days ahead, and he didn't want to cause more problems. So instead, he returned her smile with one of his, and followed her into the room. She hopped under the covers of the small bed quietly, as to not wake the few members of the Brotherhood that were already asleep on the floor. Nymeria moved to lay at her feet. Arya threw Gendry a blanket, which he laid out on the floor beside her, and moved to sit down. He took off his boots and let his head fall gently to the floor. After some time, he heard Arya's breathing soften as she fell asleep. Moments later, he joined her in welcomed slumber.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Angst! I love it! Hope everyone enjoyed reading it! Just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who is still reading this story! It means so much!**_

 _ **Also, Arya's chapter is up next, then it may be followed by a chapter from Jon's perspective, which would be an interesting challenge for me! Thoughts? Ideas? Please comment! Cheers!**_


	31. Chapter 31: Arya

Arya was awakened in the early hours of the morning by none other than Ned Dayne. He was saying her name loudly in attempts to wake her up, and she grumbled when she realized it wasn't just a dream. She opened her eyes, and slowly sat up in the bed, taking in her surroundings. Ned was standing beside her, with her great uncle beside him, while the rest of the men were still asleep, Gendry included. She gazed to the window and saw that it was still dark out. She turned and glared at Ned, "What could possibly be so important this early in the morning, Ned?"

He stared at her nervously, and sent a cursory glance to her great uncle, who spoke for him, "It's your brother."

Arya hopped up from the bed, anxious now, staring at their worried faces. She gestured for them to move into the hall. Ned closed the door behind them. Arya crossed her arms, staring at him intently, "Did we hear back from Jon?"

Ned shook his head. Her great uncle rolled his eyes and pushed Ned aside, "Seven gods, move aside boy!" Ned moved to stand behind him before the Blackfish continued, "We received a letter from Bolton. He says that he has located Rickon, and has sent men to get him." Arya's eyes widened, "And he said that if you don't surrender, he will have his head."

Arya couldn't believe this! She couldn't surrender to the bastard Bolton, but she couldn't stand to see another member of her family fall. Trying to reason with herself, she asked, "How does he know where he is? Surely, Rickon has received my letter by now and has started moving."

The Blackfish shrugged, "From the rumours, it sounds as if Rickon has people who look after him, but who's to say if they are Bolton or Stark men?"

Arya looked at him, eyes wide with panic, "Well we must go then, get the horses ready."

Her great uncle shook his head, "It will do no one any good to go out gallivanting in this harsh winter at night. We will have to think of something else."

Arya moved her hands to rub her temples, straining herself to think. "Well, Jon is closer, perhaps he could get to Rickon before we could."

Ned chose that moment to finally speak again, "But Bolton will get there before Jon can." She almost killed poor Ned, right then and there, clenching her fists.

"He has a dragon doesn't he?" she almost yelled at him.

Ned nodded, but stared at the floor, as if scared of her, "He does my Lady, but the dragon belongs to the Queen, and I'm not sure she would approve."

Arya shook her head, "Do you think I care what the bloody Queen approves of?"

"I just thought" he paused, "She is Jon's Aunt after all."

"And I'm his sister."

The three of them stood in silence then, not daring to look at each other. Finally, her great uncle spoke up, "Perhaps we should sleep on it, decide in the morning."

Arya nodded in agreement, annoyed that there was nothing she could really do at the moment. "We'll leave at first light." The other two nodded, before bidding her goodnight and retreating to their rooms. Arya quietly re-entered hers and slipped beneath the covers of her bed, prodding at Nymeria to move closer to her.

Arya didn't know what to do with herself. All she knew was that she wanted Bolton dead, and soon. She only hoped that Rickon would not have to die for this to happen. If only they had received any word from him or Jon, confirming where they were, and if they would join her cause. She eventually fell asleep, whispering the names on her list, finishing with _Bolton_.

* * *

Arya woke a few hours later, surprised that she had slept at all. She could no longer feel Nymeria's heat beside her, so she sat up and gazed to the floor where she saw Nymeria nestling between Gendry and her bed post. Arya smiled at the sight and felt a slight, unfamiliar flutter in the pit of her stomach, as she looked at Gendry's disheveled state. She was just about to throw something at him to wake him up, but Thoros was at the door, trying to get her attention. Quietly, Arya stood up and met him in the hall. "What is it Thoros? I was just about to get the rest of the men up."

He shook his head, "Don't you worry about that my Lady, Greenbeard is going around now to get the lads up."

"Alright."

He smiled, "I came to grab ya because we received another letter."

Arya's eyes widened, "From Jon?" she said, voice filled with hope.

Thoros' gaze softened, "Unfortunately not my Lady. It's from a lad named Davos."

Arya raised her brow, "Davos?" she paused, pondering the name, "Doesn't sound familiar."

Thoros nodded, "Yes, apparently he was the hand of Stannis Baratheon."

"The king's brother?"

"Yes. You know that Stannis' army was defeated by Bolton years ago, yeah?"

Arya shrugged, as she had heard about it before. Thoros nodded before continuing, "Well right before that happened, he sent his man, Davos Seaworth to find your brother."

"But why?"

"One can only guess to reclaim Winterfell under the Stark name, and get the little lord to swear fealty to Stannis as king."

Arya nodded in understanding. "So what did Davos' letter say? Is he with Rickon?"

Thoros smiled, "Yes he is. He is with Rickon, his direwolf and a wildling woman."

"Where?"

Thoros sighed and then drew a small scroll from his pocket. "Why don't you just read it my Lady."

Arya took it from him and began reading.

 _Lady Stark,_

 _My name is Davos Seaworth, hand of the late King Stannis Baratheon. My king sent me to look for your brother years ago, in attempts to regain allegiance and restore Winterfell. However, as you probably know, King Stannis has fallen, as well as the Baratheon line._

 _While this happened, I was brought to Lord Manderly in my travels, and he informed me that he too wanted a Stark to sit in Winterfell, and that he knew where Lord Rickon was, Skagos. I then ventured to Skagos, where I located Lord Rickon about a year later. He was with his direwolf and a wildling woman, Osha. They were hiding in a cave._

 _Everything you hear about the Skagosi is true. They are savage folk resembling wildings. I fear that they did not leave your brother or his wolf in a fit state of mind. I convinced them to travel back with me though, to Lord Manderly, which is where we are now. As the King has passed, we no longer have the numbers to return Winterfell to House Stark, with most of the North swearing fealty to Bolton. We shall continue to remain in hiding until you arrive with your men. I must warn you though my Lady, that your brother, though he carries the name Stark, he is as wild as they come._

 _Awaiting your arrival,_

 _Davos Seaworth_

Arya's eyes widened as she finished reading. She looked back up to Thoros with an exasperated look on her face, "He was raised by a wildling?"

Thoros nodded, "He might not be all that bad."

Arya huffed. She never wanted the responsibility of Lady of Winterfell. She didn't want to rule the North. But if Rickon was as far gone as this Davos fellow let on, he would be unfit to be the Lord of Winterfell. Arya shook her head of her thoughts, not wanting to fret when she hadn't even seen him yet.

She glanced to Thoros with determination in her eyes. "Alright Thoros, can you get Ned to write a quick letter to Davos, telling him we're on our way." Thoros nodded, "And also send word to the Wall. We haven't heard from Jon, but he should still be informed."

Thoros nodded again, "Right away my Lady. I will speak with Ned and then make sure all the men are ready to depart shortly."

She offered him a worried smile, "Thank you." She watched as Thoros walked to the end of the hall and turned left to go find Ned. Arya felt panicked. There was no way that their men could reach Rickon in time. Bolton was too close for comfort. Of course, with Nymeria, Arya could get there much faster rather than being dragged down by all the men and their horses. Arya started to formulate a plan.

Arya went back to her room, and saw that all the men were up and moving now. She grabbed her things and quickly braided her hair before grabbing a tired looking Gendry, who was tying on his boots, and pulled him down the stairs. His eyes widened once he realised what was happening. "Arya? What's going on? What's the rush?"

When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Arya pushed him into a small closet, following behind him and shutting the door. Arya looked up at him and saw that he wore a tired, worried look on his face. She sighed, as being around him made her more calm. "They found Rickon."

His eyes widened, "Well that's great Arya" he smiled, but she only looked sad, "-wait, isn't it?"

She shook head, "He's in hiding, but Bolton knows where he is, and there's only a matter of time before he gets there."

Gendry stared at her blankly, "Well we'll just have to beat him there."

Arya smiled mischievously then, "My thoughts exactly."

Gendry narrowed his eyes, "What does that mean Arya? What are you going to do?"

"Wolves are much faster in the snow than horses."

Gendry stepped back, shaking his head and arms, "No Arya! You cannot go by yourself! What if Bolton's men are there when you get there?"

Arya glared at him, "You don't think I can handle them?" she snarled, "Besides, I'll have the whole wolf pack with me."

"That's besides the point, isn't it!" he said shaking his head, looking to the ceiling. "Don't you know what their banner is? It's a flayed man. These men are vicious Arya."

Arya let out a laugh, "Thanks for the history lesson Gendry, but I don't need it. I know what kind of man he is. One who killed his own father, one who hunts people and rapes girls for pure enjoyment" her face turned serious, "One who took my name and gave it to some poor girl, joining his name to mine. I will not let him take anything more from me, Gendry."

He glanced back at her, eyes wide. After a moment of silence, he nodded, "So when are you leaving?"

Arya smiled, "We're leaving right now, while everyone is too busy packing to notice."

Gendry looked confused, "We?" he paused, eyes softening with a hopeful expression, "Does that mean you want me to come with you?"

Arya rolled her eyes and gave him a gentle shove, "Yes, stupid."

His face filled with a stupid looking grin, and Arya couldn't help but smile as she looked at him. After another moment, Gendry's grin turned into confusion, "But how will I keep up with the wolves?"

Arya shrugged, "We'll just have to find one big enough to handle you."

His eyes widened in shock and fear. She shook her head annoyingly at him. "Grab the rest of our stuff, and some food, and meet me north of the tents. I will be waiting with the wolf pack."

He swallowed hard and then just stood there, staring off into space. Arya grabbed his chin with her hand and forced him to look at her. She could see worry etched in his blue eyes that softened at her touch. She smiled, "It'll be fine, you stupid bull. We're doing this to get my brother back."

He nodded slightly, which was enough for her. She let go of his chin and turned to leave the small closet they currently occupied. As she was just about to turn the doorknob, she glanced back and saw that he still hadn't moved. She rolled her eyes, "I can just go by myself then if you're too scared."

Gendry huffed, finally called into action, as he moved to follow her out, "I'll see you shortly m'Lady."

* * *

Gendry and Arya had escaped unnoticed by the men, however, that would have only lasted for a few hours at most, as the men started travelling. Arya didn't care though, and she figured that Thoros and Harwin would probably be able to figure out her plan. They traveled for many hours before finally resting, as the sun would soon go down. Arya couldn't help but laugh every time she had looked behind her and saw a scared Gendry fumbling around on the back of a wolf, not sure what to grab hold of, worried that he would offend the wolf.

When they did finally come to a stop for a short rest, Gendry jumped off his wolf and collapsed onto his back and into the snow. Arya laughed and went to stand above him, "You really shouldn't lay in the snow. You'll get all your clothes yet."

He sent her an exasperated look, ignoring her comment, "How do you even do that Arya?"

"What? Ride Nymeria?"

He let out a nervous laugh, "No. How can you be around all these wolves and not worry that they might eat you?"

Arya rolled her eyes, reaching into one of her bags for some food, and tossing some to Gendry. He sat up and began eating and she joined him, sitting in the snow. "I don't know, Gendry, I guess I just feel like one of them, part of the pack, just running free."

Gendry looked at her and smiled. She gazed to the clear blue sky ahead and continued, "I sometimes have very vivid dreams that I am Nymeria. I'm leading the pack on a hunt, or I'm looking for something" she paused, "I think that's actually how I located her in the first place, through my dreams."

Arya turned to Gendry to see his reaction to her admission. If he was shocked or dismayed, he didn't show it, instead he just said, "Is that really possible though?"

Arya shrugged her shoulders. She had always had a connection with Nymeria, but the dreams that led her back to Westeros, back to Gendry and the Brotherhood, they couldn't be just a coincidence could they? Arya couldn't help but wonder if her siblings had these connections with their wolves as well. It would make sense, with Shaggydog always being as wild as Rickon had been, Lady being so gentle and Grey Wind being so large and strong.

Thinking about the direwolves made her think about Rickon, wondering what he would be like. She then decided to share with Gendry the contents of Davos' letter, and told him how she was worried about Rickon's state, to which Gendry replied, "Well you don't know for sure until you meet him again, right?"

Arya nodded, "But if he really is wild, I worry that I will have to be the one in charge of Winterfell once we defeat Bolton."

Gendry rose his brow, "Would that be so bad?"

Arya grumbled, "Yes it would. To carry on our name, I would have to eventually marry some lord and bare his children."

Gendry laughed, "Aye, but that was always expected of you."

Arya hit his shoulder, "But I never planned on being forced to do such things. My plan was always to run away, live like the wildings do."

Arya waited for Gendry to laugh, but when she met his gaze, he was looking at her longingly. They stared at each other for an extended time before Gendry shook his gaze away and then let out a gentle laugh, "Kind of like Tom's song, _wear a gown of golden leaves_."

At that Arya laughed, hard. Gendry followed suit and they were soon both bellowing with laughter, such a pleasant sound that Arya feared she would never hear again. When they both calmed down, Arya asked, "And what is your plan, Ser Gendry of Hollow Hill, when this war is over?"

Gendry's face turned serious, "I don't know, I haven't really thought about it."

Arya huffed, "Surely, you must have. I'm sure the Brotherhood would want you back, Jeyne and Willow would be happy to see you again" she said, voice faltering with agitation.

Gendry shrugged, "It would be nice to see them again, but – "

Arya stood up annoyed, "Of course it would! You could see your precious Jeyne and give her a babe or two, and you could grow as a family in that stupid Inn."

Gendry stood and then laughed in her face. Arya was boiling with anger now as she turned to go find Nymeria so they could be on their way. Gendry grabbed her wrist though, turning her back towards him. "Jeyne is my friend. She is more like my sister than anything else."

Arya calmed under his gaze, but found that she could not look him in the eye. A moment passed between them before she asked quietly, "Is that how you think of me, Gendry?"

Gendry sighed, sounding like he was contemplating on whether or not to respond. Eventually he dropped her wrist and brought his hand to lift up Arya's chin, forcing her to look him in the eye, she bit her lip. Arya finally looked at him then and saw emotion in his eyes that she could not quite place. He offered her a small smile before responding, "You are my best friend" he paused, "And my Lady."

Normally she would punch him or hit him for calling her that, but this was the first time he had said it 'my Lady' instead of 'm'lady' and Arya's heart couldn't help but swell at his words, knowing that they meant much more than just a silly title. Slowly, she leaned towards him. She noticed him start to hesitate and draw back, but before either of them could think on it any longer, Arya reached up and pulled his head down to meet hers. He quickly surrendered and wrapped his arms around her waist and gently allowed her to push her lips against his. It just felt so nice and comfortable, her kissing Gendry, and she couldn't help but think that she would possibly want to do it again and again.

Their lips moved together, and slowly the kiss grew, becoming more desperate as he bit her lip and then she pushed her tongue forward, seeking entrance into his mouth. He moaned as her tongue touched his and they began fighting for dominance.

Too soon, they suddenly broke apart when the wolves surrounding them began howling. They both began scanning the area around them, searching for an explanation. Finally, they heard a loud squeal above their heads. Arya followed the wolves' howling gazes up towards the sky. She heard Gendry gasp beside her. Up in the setting sky, a little ways in the distance was a dragon, white and peach in color, with a wingspan greater than all the trees around them. Arya clasped her hand over her mouth and as the dragon got closer, she could see a person riding upon the beast's back. A person with unruly black hair, hair she knew well.

* * *

 _ **A/N: I wonder who it could be?! Haha you all know! The next chapter will be from Jon's perspective, and we'll get to see what he has been up to these last 5 years. I'm hoping to have it posted next week, but these next few chapters might take some time for me to write, as I am introducing so many characters that I haven't written about before, and I just want to get it right!**_

 _ **As always, thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please please please comment and let me know what you think!**_


	32. Chapter 32: Jon

**_A/N: Hello all! Here is the next chapter from Jon's perspective, apologies for the extra week delay. This chapter is just to basically show what Jon and some other characters have been up to in the past 5 years. As you'll see there is some crossover between the show and books (although I like to stick mostly to the books)...so SPOILER WARNING if you're not caught up on the show (or haven't read the books), like Tyrion being Daenerys' hand. The rest should (hopefully) follow the books, with Ser Barriston still being alive (love that man!), and Jorah is assumed dead due to grey scale._**

 ** _Also, I realized that I was an idiot and forget to mention Shireen and Selyse Baratheon in the last chapter (how could I forget about innocent, kind Shireen…..shame on me!). Anyways, please assume that in my fic, after the death of Stannis, they retreated to Dragonstone. As Shireen's claim to the throne is weak, and they do not have many men, Shireen renounced her claim. When Daenerys became Queen, she forced the Baratheons out of the Targaryen's land (which is now led by Aegon), and placed them back in rule of the Stormlands, under the advice of Tyrion and Varys. I may include Shireen in my story later on, so I just thought I'd include this tidbit. Anyways, enjoy!_**

* * *

Jon could not get out of this meeting soon enough. The men were all having words with each other, and Jon couldn't help but feel like a fraud, sitting above them all, taking command. He was no commander. That title left him long ago, when he was stabbed to death by his sworn brothers. He had thought that was the end, but in reality, it was just the beginning of a new life, a half life. Jon had been resurrected by the Red Woman, and when he finally came to, he was surrounded by his friends, his true brothers. However, they were grossly outnumbered, even with assistance from Ghost, and the few men Stannis had left behind.

It had taken weeks for Jon to recover. His body still carried many scars, and he found that in this 'after life', he constantly felt exhausted, yet unable to sleep. He had asked Melisandre about it and she said that she didn't fully understand it either. He also constantly asked her why she even bothered to bring him back, and she always said that it was because she believed that Jon, not Stannis was Azor Ahai. Jon was reluctant to believe her, especially since her god was not his, but either way, he had been chosen to survive. That thought haunted him constantly. Why was he chosen to remain alive, but not his father, or Robb? They would have made much better use of their survival.

Of course it had only been a few months after his stabbing, that Jon was shown the truth of his parentage. It came to him in a dream. While he could not really sleep, he did try to rest, and at this particular time, Bran had come to him in a dream like state. He tried to talk to Bran, ask him how he was, what this was all about, but Bran ignored his questions and urged him to pay attention to the scenes unfolding before him. One such scene was when Prince Rhaegar had crowned Lyanna Stark the Queen of Love and Beauty. Another was when Lyanna had given birth to a child, a boy, and made Ned promise to look after him. Jon couldn't believe it. Ned was not his father. He was not Bran's brother, or Robb's brother, or Arya's brother. He was their cousin!

He had tried to demand more explanation from Bran, but the scene changed again. They were in Essos somewhere, watching a small army march past them. At the lead was a young woman with silver hair and purple eyes, the mark of a Targaryen. On her shoulder, was a small, black dragon. Jon gasped at the sight, and Bran chuckled beside him. Bran then pointed to the two small cages behind her, and Jon could see that there were two more dragons, one green and one white. Jon turned to Bran and had asked, "Why are you showing me this?"

Bran smiled, "The dragon has three heads."

Jon scrunched up his face in confusion, "What does that mean?"

Bran pointed to the girl, "She is one, the leader, the mother. You are the second, and your half brother is the third."

"Half brother?"

Bran nodded, "Aegon Targaryen, although I believe he is going by Griff" he paused, "You must find them, bring them to the wall, tell them of the whitewalkers. They will help you defeat them."

"But how? When?"

"It will take time, but you must leave the Wall. It is no longer safe for you there. Head south and find Daenerys Targaryen."

"But what about you? What about Arya? I have to find her."

Bran shook his head, "You will not find her in Westeros. It will be years before she returns here. And when she does, she will seek you out."

Jon nodded, "And what about you?"

Bran smiled longingly, "I am where I am meant to be."

And with one last smile shared between brothers, Jon had woken up.

* * *

It had taken him five long years to get where he was now. When he had first woken up, he had grabbed his friends, Melisandre, the remaining Baratheons, and Ghost and fled the Wall, his watch now being over. For a while, they had stayed with the Wildings that had settled in the Gift, as they could not stay with Stannis now that he had been slain. Jon sent the Baratheons and Melisandre back to Dragonstone, warning them that they should renounce their claim, as dragons were coming. Jon had written to Sam, to inform him on what had all happened, but he never received a response.

When they finally heard word of the mother of Dragons arriving in Westeros, they moved south. The Dragon Queen had easily taken the iron throne, as the people flocked to her, and Queen Cersei retreated to Casterly Rock. When Jon and his company had finally arrived at King's Landing, Jon was surprised to see the imp at her side, along with a man about his age, that could only be a Targaryen, with his bright purple eyes.

The Queen had agreed to see him, thanks to Tyrion, and Jon had shared his tale. Tyrion seemed quite impressed with Jon's story, however the queen did not. With the influence of the older man standing behind her, who Jon learned was none other than Ser Barristan Selmy, the Queen forced him to prove himself. She believed him to be a Stark, thanks to Ghost, but to believe him as a Targaryen, he had to prove himself. Jon had been escorted just outside of the city, into the surrounding forest, miles from the Kingsroad, when he started to hear squealing. Eventually they came upon a clearing, and Jon could not believe his eyes. Before him were the three dragons he had seen in Bran's vision. But they were no longer small, they were massive. The queen and her nephew, Aegon stepped forward to greet the beasts, while everyone else stayed far away. Aegon then beckoned Jon to come closer, and reluctantly, he did.

Aegon told him the names of the dragons, and pointed to the green one, Rhaegal, saying that he was the one Aegon rode, while the largest, Drogon was Daenerys'. He then pointed to the white/peach one, Viserion, and told Jon that if the dragon allowed him to approach, then perhaps Jon was a Targaryen. So Jon slowly made his way towards the beast, and surprisingly, the beast did not breathe fire, or even back away, he actually moved closer. Jon found it kind of ironic, as the white color of the beast resembled that of Ghost, his closest companion. Jon had put his arm out in front of him, bracing himself, and the dragon quickly put the tip of his snout in Jon's hand. He laughed at the absurdity. Jon then turned back to Aegon, who wore a look of pure shock on his face.

Eventually the dragon queen accepted him as a Targaryen, and with counselling from Tyrion, Jon soon found himself in the middle of the small council, offering his knowledge of the Whitewalkers. And once he was comfortable enough with Viserion, Jon went back to the Wall, reluctantly having to leave Ghost behind. When he arrived back at the Wall, he found the mutineers dead. He eventually located 'Mance Rayder' who informed him that they had attempted to attack the Thenns, but were defeated easily.

So Jon found himself back in Castle Black, with no more Brothers of the Night's Watch. As time went on though, he began working with the Wildlings, who were supported by the Queen, thanks to Jon. And Jon also began travelling across the seven kingdoms with Aegon getting noble houses alike to sign the Queen's united treaty that stated there would be no more war in Westeros apart from the war with the Others, all other disputes would be dealt with afterwards. It had been hard for Jon at first, approaching noble houses that disgraced his family, the Stark family. When it came down to it, he found he could not face the Greyjoy's, Frey's, Bolton's or Lannister's, without enacting vengeance. Aegon and other members of the Queensguard had handled them.

Mostly all the houses in Westeros had agreed upon the Queen's treaty, with winter dawning near, and the threat of the others becoming imminent. And Jon had found himself caught up in it all, a place where he never thought he would be. Most of the time, he found himself among the wildlings, near the Wall, and other times he was in King's Landing. About 2 years after he had sent his letter to Sam, he had finally gotten a response. Sam had successfully finished his training at the citadel with the archmaesters, and was on his way to return North.

* * *

It had been great to see Sam again, even greater because he had brought Ghost with him. Sam informed him of the passing of Maester Aemon, and Jon informed him that he had seen Gilly when he was recruiting the Tarly family for the Queen's cause. Sam admitted that he had wanted to visit her on his way back North, but that he decided it would be best to leave her be, as far South and away from the Whitewalkers that she could be. In truth, Jon suspected that Sam was afraid to face his father again.

And that brought them to today, another three years later, stuck in a meeting with the wildling clan leaders, and to be honest, Jon was quite exhausted. They were constantly bickering over land use, especially now that most of the Gift was absolutely covered in thick blankets of snow. Their bickering came to a halt thought when Sam entered the room, slamming the door against the wall. Jon gave sent him a questioning glance, "What is it Sam?"

He held up a scroll, but didn't speak as he was catching his breath, most likely from running into the hall. Worried now, Jon quickly finished the meeting and motioned for Sam to follow Jon to his chambers. Once there, Jon closed the door and motioned for Sam to sit, "Who is the letter from Sam?"

Sam looks at him, "I believe it is from your sister, Jon."

Jon raised his brow, "Sansa? It something a matter with the babe? I have yet to hear from her about it!"

Sam shook his head, "No. Still no word from Lady Sansa" he paused, "I believe this letter is from Lady Arya."

Jon gasped, "Arya? But it can't be! No one has seen her in 5 years!"

"Aye. But it seems she has finally found her way back to Westeros."

Jon began pacing the room, taking it all in. "I can't believe it! After all this time. Well where is she?" he asked, feeling hopeful for the first time in a long time.

Sam turned his gaze to the floor, "Ah – well, I'll give you her letter in a moment, but hers is not the only letter we received."

Jon stopped and stood still, facing Sam, "What do you mean?"

"We also received word from the Queen, and she is not happy."

Jon groaned, "Just spit it out Sam!"

"There has been a violation of the Queen's united treaty. She believes it to be that Brotherhood group."

"What did they do?"

Sam nervously played with his furs, keeping his head down, "They attacked the Frey's in the middle of the night. The towers are now under Tully rule."

Jon couldn't help it when the corner of his mouth went to turn up into a smile, "Arya did this."

Sam nodded, "Aye." Sam finally handed over the scroll and Jon read it quickly. He let out a delighted laugh when he read ' _rustle my hair and call me little sister_ '. It was true. Arya was back. Not only that, but she had decided to campaign to all the Northern houses to take back Winterfell. His smile took up all his face at the prospect of seeing Arya soon. He looked to Sam, expecting to find him smiling as well, but Sam was still just looking to the floor.

"What is it Sam? This is great news!"

"But what about – "

"– the Queen" Jon paused, "Yes I know. I suppose I will have to try and reason with her, try and get her to see my side, Arya's side, so that I can help Arya."

Sam finally looked to Jon, worry etched onto his face, "Haven't you attempted that before?"

Jon let out a laugh, "Aye. But I have not yet had a Stark to place in Winterfell, nor have I ever been so motivated."

* * *

The next morning, Jon found himself in King's Landing, sitting upon the small council, awaiting his moment to speak. Finally, after discussing wheat stores from the Reach, Daenery's finally looked to him, "Jon, you said you had matters to discuss?"

Jon nodded and stood, walking toward the Queen, handing her his letter from Arya. Jon stood in silence as she read. He suddenly found himself wishing that Sam was standing beside him. Sam was much better at explaining himself then Jon was. When Daenerys finished, she scoffed and handed the letter back to him. She then addressed the table, which contained Aegon, Tyrion, Varys, and Ser Barriston, with Grey Worm and Missandei standing nearby. "It seems that Jon's 'sister' has returned, and we have her to thank for my treaty being broken."

Varys let out a laugh, "Yes, there are whispers that she leads a great wolf pack."

Aegon huffed, "A wolf pack? She must be truly wild then."

Jon smiled, "She always was a wild one, strong too."

Aegon returned his smile. But the moment is disrupted by Tyrion, "Well we cannot let the Stark girl continue her revenge plans. There are more important matters to attend too."

Jon nodded, "I agree Lord Tyrion. However, Arya will not stop until Winterfell is returned to the Starks. Trust me."

Daenerys responded, "Well then we must stop her. I do not want any more bloodshed in my Kingdom until the Others are destroyed" she paused, "We will find her and hold her for the time being, and try to reason with this Brotherhood."

Jon felt anger rise within. He shook his head, "Your grace, my apologies, but I cannot let you take my sister prisoner. She would not stand for it. I will not stand for it."

Daenerys' purple gaze found his, seeking something. She stood and approached him, speaking to him as if no one else was in the room "She is not your true sister. We are your true family, yet you would betray me for some wild wolf girl?"

Jon narrowed his gaze, "Arya is my family. Remember, I am half Stark."

Ser Barriston rose, "Be careful how you address you Queen."

Jon stepped back, "Apologies your Grace."

The room was silent for a moment, before Daenerys retreated and returned to her seat. She then turned to Tyrion, seeking advice. "Lord Hand, what is your advice on this matter?"

Tyrion sighed and reached forward, pouring himself another glass of wine, and then drank it in one gulp. Jon sent him a pleading look. After a tense few moments, Tyrion finally spoke, "Your Grace, I believe the Frey's deserved the cards with which they were dealt. Punishing the she-wolf will accomplish nothing. If she is riding north, as you say, the houses will begin flocking to her." He looked to Jon, "What is it you say, 'The north remembers?"

Jon nodded, and Tyrion continued, "Right well then, this slight rebellion will not be stopped. Perhaps it would be best to offer her assistance, and be done with the matter as quickly as possible, with minimal blood shed."

Surprisingly, Varys and Aegon nodded in agreement, Aegon adding, "Yes I agree with Lord Tyrion. Your grace has not had the displeasure of meeting Bolton. He is a despicable man, one that I would not trust on the battle field, nor anywhere else for that matter."

Ser Barriston shook his head, "That may be the case, but what of our peace treaty? What will stop other houses from breaking the treaty and seeking their own revenge?"

Tyrion laughed, "Which houses do you speak of Ser Barriston? House Lannister has been dealt with, as well as house Greyjoy, Baratheon and Tyrell. I cannot think of other houses that would betray our Queen."

Ser Barristan huffed in annoyance. Daenerys let out an exasperated sigh, "Enough." She turned to Jon, "Go to your sister then, try to reason with her. Find the young Stark boy and return them to Winterfell, rid the North of the bastard Bolton."

Jon nodded, as Varys spoke, "And if Bolton decides to engage in battle?"

Daenerys rose from her seat and turned to leave the room, Missandei followed behind her, "So be it. Take Aegon with you and make quick work of it. Return to me when it is done, and we will finalize plans for the war with the Others, and begin to move troops North."

Jon smiled, "Yes your grace, thank you."

Daenerys turned to look him in the eyes before leaving the room, "Don't thank me yet Jon. There is a long road ahead of us still." She smiled and then left the room.

* * *

After the small council meeting, Jon had grabbed Aegon and they immediately departed on the backs of their dragons, and headed North. They had decided that Aegon would fly to Castle Black, to see if they had received more word from Arya. Jon on the other hand, had estimated where Arya should be if she was heading North. He knew he might struggle to find her, but he hoped that the rumors of the giant wolf pack were true, and then she wouldn't be too hard to find. After travelling most of the day, Jon happened upon a large group of troops. Jon smiled, thinking that he had found them. This must be the Brotherhood, and the remnants of the Tully army.

However, when Viserion landed, and Jon headed over to speak to them, announcing his presence, a man named Thoros approached him and told him that Arya had left earlier that morning, with the wolf pack, and someone named Gendry, off to seek Rickon. The army was following them. Jon thanked them, and told them that he would see them soon. He then went back to Viserion and took off, venturing further north. While in the air, Jon could not help but wonder who this Gendry person was. He assumed it must be a trusted ally of Arya's as the Stark direwolves do not trust easily. Soon enough, Viserion let out a squawking noise, and he heard howls in the distance. Sure enough as he approached, he saw the large wolf pack below, and among them, two figures standing side by side.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Gah! Jon! Love it! Hope you enjoyed that chapter! As always, thank you so much for reading. Please comment and let me know what you think! Especially about Jon/Daenerys….do people like/want them together? For me it's a bit weird, but please let me know what you think! Also, what do you think of an Aegon/Arya/Gendry triangle…..history repeating itself?_**

 ** _Next chapter will (hopefully) be the reunion you've all been patiently waiting for! I will write it from Arya's perspective._**


	33. Chapter 33: Little Sister

**_A/N: Hi everyone! Here is the next chapter! Apologies for the delay, but I just struggled to write this one. I re-wrote the reunion part so many times, and I'm still not that happy with it….but here it is anyways._**

 ** _Also, thank you for the comments on the last chapter! If I were to do something with Aegon/Arya/Gendry it would not be an actual love triangle. It would be Aegon showing interest in her, but Arya not caring/being completely oblivious, because why would she ever want him when she has Gendry…..I mean, come on! I just think the triangle/not a triangle would be a fun way to show more stubborn/slightly jealous Gendry. But if I do decide to do this, there won't be much, I promise!_**

* * *

Arya could not believe her eyes, _Jon_ , she thought excitedly. She had been hoping to hear from him soon, but never imagined that he would come find her, much less on the back of a dragon. _So the rumours ring true_ , she thought. Jon is a Targaryen, not only that but he rode upon a dragon, a creature Arya had never seen before. The white/peach creature was stunning, flapping it's wings softly against the winter winds. Arya smiled at the sight. The wolves continued howling, but Arya ignored them and began moving towards where she saw the dragon landing.

She completely forgot about Gendry, until he spoke from behind her, "Is that a dragon?"

Arya stopped in her tracks, looked back at him and laughed at his bewildered expression, "Yes, and that's my brother riding the beast."

Gendry scrunched up his face and sent her a worried look, "Jon?"

Arya sighed in annoyance, "Yes, now come on, he'll land out of the way of the wolves."

Gendry came to her side then, falling into step beside her. Arya was giddy to see her brother, and picked up the pace. She was stopped by Gendry's hand grabbing her wrist, "Arya, do you think he saw us? Just now?"

Gendry's cheeks reddened as he asked, and Arya's began to as well. She knows what he's asking, whether Jon had seen them kissing. Arya didn't know what she had been thinking, but she honestly didn't care. Arya was free to kiss whomever she liked, and there was nothing Jon could do to stop her, and she doubted that he would try to stop her. Jon had always admired her wildness and defiance, he said that he found it endearing. But Arya knew that Gendry would not care about this, so to reassure him, all she said was, "No."

Gendry nodded, but looked to the snow at his feet, as if he didn't believe her. He released her wrist as they heard Jon calling her name in the near distance. Arya grinned at the sound, and was anxious to run to her brother. Gendry must have picked up on this as he said, "Go. See your brother. I will wait here."

Arya grinned at him, and reached over to give his hand a light squeeze before turning and running towards Jon's voice. She need not run for long though, as moments later, Jon emerged from the trees, looking the same as ever, yet slightly more like the grown man he was. He had a huge smile on his face, and then they were both running. They quickly closed the gap between them as Arya jumped into her brother's arms, "Jon" she yelled, just as he said, "Arya".

"I missed you" they both said. Jon had one arm around her waist and the other on the back of her head. He squeezed her tight as she laughed. They were back to saying the same things at the same time, it was like no time had passed at all.

After what seemed like a long time, Jon finally released her. He looked at her with his deep grey eyes, eyes that were mirrored on her face, and he smiled, "There were so many times I had heard reports of where you were. I wanted to go after you, I wanted to join Robb in his war, but I couldn't."

Arya nodded, "You were a brother of the night's watch, you did what you had to do. Besides, I was never where anyone thought I was" she finished with a sly grin.

Jon leaned over and mussed her hair, "I should've known that you were too smart to be trapped by some Lord, little sister."

She beamed at his words, but lightly punched his shoulder, "Yes, you should have."

They stood in comfortable silence for a moment smiling at each other, before he spoke again, "Arya, where have you been all this time?"

Arya looked to her feet, "That's not important now, Jon. What is important is that you have a dragon!" she said quickly, wanting to change the subject.

Jon laughed, "Yes! Well I ride one. Viserion is no pet."

Arya looked at him questioningly, "Viserion?"

Jon nodded, "Yes, one of the Queen's three dragons."

"Hmmm. So you now have a direwolf and a dragon?" she paused, teasing him, "You are truly the son of ice and fire."

He laughed again, "It would seem so, little sister."

She grinned at him, "Certainly have worked your way up from being a bastard."

Jon's face turned serious, "I didn't ask for any of this Arya." With his face so serious he was the spitting image their father, well her father, Ned. He stood tall, and with his face slightly scrunched up, she could just feel his commanding presence. She wondered if there was a different life he had asked for, a simpler one, like the one she so often craved.

Arya sent him a small smile, wanting to lighten the conversation, "I know, but you do deserve it though. Bastard men are the best men in my books."

Jon smiled at her again, "Aye? And how many bastard men have you acquainted yourself with, these last five years?"

Arya felt her cheeks redden as she thought of Gendry. Ah yes, Gendry. Ignoring Jon's question, Arya grabbed his hand, and proceeded to drag him the way she had come. "Come brother, there is someone I should introduce you to."

Jon laughed, "Gendry perhaps?"

Arya stopped and looked at him, "How do you know about Gendry?"

"I flew from King's Landing and came across your troops first. Someone named Thoros told me you had ventured on your own with the wolves, and someone named Gendry."

Arya turned back and continued pulling Jon along, "Oh."

Soon enough they entered the small clearing that was covered with wolves. Jon did not seem at all worried as they maneuvered their way through the pack. Near the edge of the clearing, Arya spotted Gendry seated against a tree, petting Nymeria who was lying beside him. When Arya and Jon approached, Nymeria came to attention and went to Arya's side. Gendry stood up. He had a scared look on his face, as if the prospect of meeting her favorite brother was scary.

Arya and Jon came to a stop in front of Gendry, "Jon this is Gendry, Gendry this is my brother Jon."

Gendry gave a slight bow, "Pleasure to meet 'ya, m'lord."

Jon let out a laugh, "Nice to meet you as well Gendry. And there is no need to call me m'lord, you may call me Jon."

Gendry raised his head and looked to Arya for reassurance. She sent him a curt nod. "Yes, m'l – er, Jon."

Arya laughed at the forlorn Gendry before her, and he sent her a stubborn look. Jon broke their internal conversation, "How is it that you have come to know my sister, Gendry?"

Gendry smiled at Jon, "It was years ago. Your sister was fleeing King's Landing and travelled with those of us bound for the Wall. We travelled together for quite some time, before we got separated."

Jon turned to Arya confused, "You were coming to the Wall?"

"After father was killed, Yoren took me in with his recruits. He was going to bring me to Winterfell, but he was killed before we even crossed the Trident. We tried to continue on our own, but we were captured by the Mountain, and brought to Harrenhall. We stayed there for a time until Bolton took over rule, and then we escaped."

Jon looked worried, "You were with the Mountain? And a whole bunch of Night's Watch recruits? How did you hide your identity? Were you hurt?"

Arya let out a laugh, "I dressed as a boy and chopped my hair off. And I took some beatings, but it was nothing I couldn't handle."

Jon nodded, "Where did you go then?"

"We tried moving North, but we were captured by the Brotherhood without Banners. They were nice enough, and promised to sell me to Robb. Before they got the chance, I was taken by the Hound."

Jon's eyes widened, "The rotten king's dog?"

Arya nodded, "That was when Gendry and I were separated. I just found him a few moons ago."

Jon nodded, slowly taking it all in. He then turned to Gendry, "May I ask why you were going to join the night's watch, Gendry?"

Gendry nodded, thinking nothing of it, but Arya knew that Jon was worried that Gendry had taken advantage of her in some way. _Hah!_ she thought, _as if that could ever happen!_ Gendry then proceeded, "I was an armorer's 'prentice in King's Landing, and my master got sick of me."

Arya let out a laugh, thinking that his master probably let him go because they were killing King Robert's bastards. She sent Gendry a queer look, wondering if he was going to tell Jon who his father was. Instead, Jon spoke again, "A smith? Those are rare to come by these days. We could really use you at the Wall, preparing for the war with the Others."

Arya huffed, not liking the thought of Gendry going off to the Wall, while she would stay in Winterfell. Gendry only nodded. "Happy to help m'l – er, Jon" he glanced over to her and took notice of her annoyed expression.

"Gendry's coming with me to Winterfell first." Gendry smiled as she spoke, and Jon only nodded. They stood there in uncomfortable silence for a few moments, before she spoke again, remembering herself, "Oh, Jon! Did you get my other letter about Rickon?"

Jon shook his head, eyes not looking optimistic, "No I left the wall once I got your letter and went straight to King's Landing."

Arya raised her brow, "King's landing?" she shook her head, as that was not important right now, "I sent you a letter to tell you that RIckon is being hidden by the Manderly's at White Harbour. Bolton knows where he is, and is going to kill Rickon if I don't stand down. He likely already sent men to go to White Harbour a few days ago, after hearing of what happened at the Twins."

Jon wore a worried expression, "We should go then. Bolton might not kill Rickon right away, but there's no telling what else he may do."

Arya nodded, and Gendry spoke beside her, "But how will we get there in time? Arya said White Harbour is another days ride, and it is already getting dark out."

Arya shrugged her shoulders, "We will have to ride through the night."

Jon shook his head, "If Aegon went to the Wall, he'll have already found this out and made his way to White Harbour on his own. We need to get there as soon as we can."

Jon was speaking nonsense, "Aegon, who is Aegon?"

Jon looked to her, "The Queen's nephew. My half brother, technically."

Arya stared at him dumbfounded, "Half brother?"

Jon nodded, "Aye. And he's on his way to White Harbour probably as we speak. I must go."

Arya nodded reluctantly, not willing to be parted from Jon again, so quickly after being reunited. "Alright, you go with Viserion, and we'll catch up. Just don't do anything drastic."

"Are you sure Arya? Aegon and I can probably handle this."

Arya narrowed her eyes at her brother, and was about to give him a piece of her mind when Gendry spoke for her, "M'lady likes a good fight."

Arya punched Gendry in the arm, and noticed that Jon and Gendry were both smiling at her.

* * *

Jon had left ahead of them, but stayed close to the wolf pack, often hovering above to act as a guide. Hours passed as they rode through the dark forest. With the wolves howling every so often, they came across no other beings on their travels. Arya led the pack, atop Nymeria, and Gendry brought up the rear, still struggling to ride. They rode the wolves hard, not wanting to stop, and eventually, they saw Viserion landing in the near distance. The wolves finally came to a halt and immediately began to have a short rest as Arya walked ahead to speak with Jon, Gendry following behind her, trying not to stumble as he was not used to riding for so long.

Arya and Gendry did not speak as they made their way into the clearing. Arya remained silent because she was anxious for a fight, while Gendry was just tired. They soon came upon a clearing and saw Jon speaking to someone. She couldn't quite make out who it was, as she could only see his silhouette, so she quickly drew Needle from her hip. Gendry followed suit, bringing his hammer to his hand.

They approached slowly, as Gendry was making so much noise, thumping through the snow. Arya grew agitated and looked to him, giving him a stare, silently telling him to stay put. He nodded in understanding, and Arya left him standing there. She moved quicker now, and silently climbed a nearby tree. She moved closer to the two men, and before they could move away from her, she pounced.

Arya jumped from the tree, landing on her feet, and quickly moved forward to place Needle at the stranger's throat. Both men had shocked looks on their faces as Arya asked, "Who is this Jon?"

Jon let out a laugh, and the man whose throat was at the tip of her sword relaxed, "You know this girl then Jon?"

Jon nodded and turned to Arya, "Yes, now put that away, Arya."

Arya hesitantly lowered her sword and the man before her smiled at her, "This is Arya Stark."

The man stepped closer to her and Arya finally got a good look at him in the moon's light. He was tall, slightly taller than Jon, and he had long silvery hair and piercing purple eyes. _This must be Aegon,_ she thought. He was prettier than she imagined. Just like Sansa's lord husband. He was thin though, probably useless with a sword or a hammer. Arya snickered at the thought.

The Targaryen smirked at her, "Do you have a habit of putting your sword to crowned prince's throats?"

Arya laughed, remembering back to when she held Joffrey's sword to his throat after he attacked Mycah. "You'd be surprised."

He grinned. He looked like he was about to speak again, when Gendry walked over to join them. He gave a slight bow to Aegon but said nothing. Arya stared at the three men before her. Gendry was by far the largest, and probably the strongest as well. _But he was always strong_ she thought.

Jon motioned from Gendry to Aegon, "Aegon, this is Arya's friend Gendry."

Aegon nodded to him, "Nice to meet you both."

Not wanting to delay any longer, Jon said, "Alright, so Aegon flew over White Harbour and he said that there is looks to be about 50 Bolton men outside Manderly's gates. He will not open them, but Bolton's men are unlikely to leave. I'm not sure how many men Manderly has, but – "

Arya shook her head and interrupted her brother, "That doesn't matter. We have the wolf pack." She gestured to the forest behind her, "We can take out 50 men easily."

Jon looked at her uneasily, "Maybe there is a way to do this without killing all 50 men. After all we need all the men we can get for our war with the others."

Aegon nodded in agreement, but Arya snickered, "Bugger that, Jon. We have the wolf pack and they are better than 50 men."

Jon shook his head frustrated, "Gods be good Arya" he paused, "Fine. We will take the pack and take out the men. Manderly will open the gates for us afterwards."

Arya nodded with a knowing smirk on her face. Jon could never say no to her, just like her father could never say no to her, kind of like Gendry as well. _No_ she thought, _Gendry is different_.

Jon smiled back at her, drawing her from her thoughts. "Alright. Let's go get the pack then."

As they turned to walk back into the forest where Nymeria and the pack were waiting, Jon reached over, put his arm around her shoulder and mussed her hair, "As if I could ever deny you of anything, little sister."

Arya yanked away from his grasp and punched him lightly in the shoulder, all the while smiling at him. Arya was so thankful to have her brother back, for she had missed him dearly. They still had much to catch up on, but that could all wait. Battle was looming near, and Arya was beginning to feel thirsty for blood.

 ** _A/N: So there it is….the reunion! I know it wasn't the best, but I tried! And also, I really need to get the story going, there are Bolton's to kill! Next chapter will be from Gendry's perspective._**

 ** _As always, thank you so much for reading and please please please comment! I love hearing from you!_**


	34. Chapter 34: Gendry

**_A/N: Greetings everyone! Here is the next chapter. Not very action filled, but the upcoming ones probably will be! And thank you to those who commented! I love getting feedback! It's interesting to hear different takes on the whole Aegon thing!_**

 ** _Disclaimer (as always): Characters are the work of GRRM, this is merely my take on his story post ADWD._**

* * *

It had been a little strange meeting Jon. All Gendry really knew of him were the rumors he had heard. And of course that he was Arya's favorite brother. Gendry had been nervous to meet him, especially as he was worried the man would take his head if he had seen what they had been doing. He inwardly cursed himself for allowing that to happen. But she was the one who initiated it, wasn't she? And she certainly didn't pity him this time. She acted like she was almost jealous of Jeyne. He laughed, as if Arya could ever have a reason to be jealous of anyone.

Gendry didn't know what to make of Prince Aegon either. He had that 'prince-ly' look about him that probably made all the ladies swoon, but to Gendry, he just seemed scrawny. And Gendry had not liked the way the prince had been looking at Arya, as if she was the most interesting piece of meat he had ever laid eyes upon. Of course Arya was interesting, but she was no one's possession, and it made Gendry sick to his stomach to think of some Lord taking advantage of her. Not that she would ever let them. She was strong and smart. She didn't need a man, or a title, or a babe to care for. _But did she want those things?_ Gendry thought. His heart swelled when he thought of a little brown-haired, grey-eyed babe. _No sense in thinkin' about that,_ he told himself.

They left as soon as Jon and Aegon took off in the opposite direction. Arya had quickly climbed on Nymeria, and Gendry reluctantly climbed on the back of one of the larger wolves. Arya took off in an instant, and they didn't speak for the entire time they traveled to White Harbour. Time passed quickly enough though, and soon they were just outside of White Harbour. Jon and Aegon were up ahead, but their dragons were nowhere in sight. Gendry stumbled to the ground, off of the wolf, and spoke to Arya, who was climbing down from Nymeria, "Where do ya' reckon the dragons have gone?"

Arya shrugged, "Probably off getting food."

Gendry raised his brow, "But if they helped us we could get into White Harbour in no time."

"We're not going to burn down the poor place. Besides, I don't reckon the wolf pack will want to go anywhere near dragon fire."

"Aye. I guess you're right."

Arya looked at him and rolled her eyes. He smiled. "Of course I'm right."

Gendry laughed and raised his arms in surrender "I shall never doubt you m'lady."

She let out a laugh and shoved him, "You better not."

They shared a tender smile between them, ignorant of the dark night around them, and the small battle looming near. There wasn't much light to see, save for the moon, but Gendry had no trouble seeing how wonderfully wild Arya looked. She had wisps of hair coming out of her braid every which way, her cheeks were rosy from the bitter cold and her eyes, her grey eyes, ever wide and staring into his own. Gendry was lost in it all, affection running through him, when Jon called out to them, "Oi! You two coming?"

Arya tore her gaze away from him and hollered back a yes. She sent him one last smile before turning away from him and walking towards her brother. Gendry reluctantly followed behind. Nymeria and the pack joined them as well, bringing up the rear. When they were standing in from of Jon and the prince, Gendry could see Aegon's eyes go wide, "So this must be Nymeria." He motioned to Nymeria who was standing in between Arya and Gendry.

Arya simply nodded.

Aegon looked to Jon, "God's be good, she's huge! Larger than Ghost I'd say."

Jon shrugged his shoulders. Aegon stepped forward as if to say hello to Nymeria, which she did not like. The she-wolf took a step back and growled at him. Arya did nothing except laugh at the scrawny, silver-haired boy in front of them. Gendry on the other hand did not want to upset the prince, and began petting Nymeria, telling her no.

The prince raised his brow to him, "She seems to like you a fair bit."

He shrugged, and Arya spoke beside him, "I trust Gendry, so Nymeria trusts him too." Gendry grinned.

The prince smiled at Arya, "You don't trust me then?"

"I don't know you."

"Fair enough."

Jon shook his head at his little sister, with a gentle smile playing on his lips, before drawing their attention back to the matter at hand. "Alright, so the men are just outside of the gate. We'll make quick work of them and then head inside to get Rickon. If all goes well, hopefully Lord Manderly doesn't mind some extra guests while we wait for the Brotherhood and the Tully's to get here."

They all nodded in agreement. Jon looked at them with a solemn look on his face, "Try not to get hurt, alright."

They all nodded again. "Let's go."

Jon and Aegon led the way, with Arya and Gendry behind them, the wolf pack bringing up the rear. As they got closer to the clearing, they could see men outside the gate. Some were standing guard, others were in tents, trying to keep warm, the flayed man banner hanging outside. Gendry felt Arya move beside him, and saw that she had drawn Needle and one of her daggers. Gendry followed suit and grabbed his hammer. He felt Arya nudge him in the side. He looked to her once more and saw that she was holding one of her daggers out to him, "Doesn't hurt to have an extra weapon."

"I should've brought one."

"Just take mine. If you lose it, you'll just have to make me another."

He smiled, "Aye. Thanks." She didn't return his smile, as her gaze was already back on the men ahead of them. The next few moments happened quickly. Without any warning, Arya had risen and run out into the clearing, Nymeria and the wolf pack following her, howling as they went. He heard Jon sigh beside him, "She was never the patient type."

Gendry laughed, and soon the three of them ran out to join Arya and the wolf pack. By the time they were halfway through the clearing, the men had been made aware of the howling, and were scrambling to grab their weapons. Arya had of course, reached the men first and began fighting. Two men were on her, but she killed them easily with her water dance. Nymeria was beside her and launched herself at the men approaching. The remainder of the pack soon followed.

By the time Gendry, Jon and Aegon had arrived, the pack had already taken out almost half of the men. Jon and Aegon began fighting, and Gendry ran over to fight by Arya. A man approached him, running with his sword in the air, and Gendry deflected it easily with his hammer. He then raised his other arm, containing Arya's dagger, and quickly stabbed the man in the side. The man cowered for a moment and then began swinging again. Gendry was able to deflect each blow and eventually, the man had lost too much blood, and fell to the ground.

Gendry let him be and turned to fight the next soldier. One man approached with a sword in each hand. He lifted his right arm and swung violently at Gendry. Gendry deflected it with his hammer. The man went to move his other arm to swing the sword through Gendry's middle, and Gendry feared he would be too slow to stop it. He moved his hammer to attempt and deflect the other sword, but Gendry found that the sword did not come. He looked down confused, and saw one of Arya's daggers in the man's hand. He dropped his sword. Gendry looked up and found Arya staring at him, her eyes dark. She mumbled something but he didn't hear what. Instead he just watched as Arya quickly finished the man and pulled her dagger from his hand.

She left his side as quickly as she had come to it, and advanced on the remaining men. Gendry followed. The rest of the fight passed in a blur. Gendry had fought off quite a few men, but he was soon exhausted. He had not slept, and his left arm was bleeding profusely. He wasn't even sure of when it had happened. Thank the gods that the pack was there though. The wolves had saved him on more than one occasion. And soon when Gendry felt near collapsing, there were no men left to fight. He heard Aegon cheer in victory as the gates to White Harbour slowly began to open.

The four of them moved forward to step through the gates, leaving the wolf pack behind them, to finish their feast. The four of them were greeted by a large man, that Gendry assumed was Lord Manderly. "My prince, my prince, m'Lady, thank you for coming on short notice. I feared we would soon be met by half the Bolton army!"

"Of course my Lord." Jon said.

Arya piped up beside him, "Do you not have enough men to take on 50 Bolton's?"

Jon sighed at her rudeness, and Gendry tried to suppress a smile. The lord looked at her, taken aback. "Why yes m'Lady, but 50 men is likely all I have. We are in the middle of winter!"

Jon spoke up before Arya could, "Of course my Lord. We are happy to help. Although we could've have avoided this mess if you had told me of Rickon when we came to discuss the treaty with you."

"Aye. And what would you have done with him?"

"Taken him to King's Landing, kept him safe there until the end of the war."

Lord Manderly shook his head, "The boy would not do well in the South, surrounded by so many people. Besides, his place is in Winterfell. There should always be a Stark in Winterfell. And now that the she-wolf has gone and gotten herself an army, the Stark banners will rise again."

Arya was getting anxious standing beside Gendry. "Can you show us to our brother?"

The large lord shook his head, "Best leave it 'til the morning. Most everyone is asleep, and you lot look like you need some as well. Willem will show you to your rooms." He motioned to the smaller man beside him, then looked to Gendry, finally acknowledging his presence, "And you, best go see the maester for that cut."

Gendry nodded, "Aye. Thank you m'Lord." A woman appeared beside him and asked him to follow her. Gendry complied and looked back to the others, telling them to sleep well. Arya sent him a sad smile before turning away and disappearing down a dimly lit hall.

* * *

Gendry woke the next morning feeling like he hadn't slept at all. As he opened his eyes and tried to sit up, he winced as he felt a stab of pain in his left bicep. He looked at it and saw that it was wrapped. As he slowly maneuvered his way out of the small cot, a young girl entered the room. "My Lord and his guests have invited you to break your fast with them."

Feeling exhausted Gendry grumbled, "How kind of them."

She offered him a fake smile, "The bath is across the corridor on your left, and I will be waiting to show you to the main hall."

He nodded and stood up, following her out of the room. She showed him to the baths and Gendry closed the door, quickly undressing himself and submerging his body in the warm water. He did his best to keep his left arm dry as he scrubbed away the dirt and the blood. When he thought he was clean enough, he climbed out of the tub, and grabbed the fresh set of clothes set out beside the towels. He quickly laced up his breeches, tucking in his tunic, put on his boots and opened the door, where the girl was waiting for him.

They walked the long corridors in silence until finally coming to a stop at the doors of the main hall. The girl gestured towards the head table and then bowed before taking her leave. Gendry then turned to stare at the head table and saw that it was occupied by Lord Manderly, and a woman Gendry assumed was his wife, then Aegon and Jon with Arya at the end. On the other side of Manderly's wife was an older looking man with an exasperated look on his face, slowly picking away at his plate.

Gendry cleared his throat, about to make his presence known, when Jon noticed him standing there, "There you are Gendry. Let me introduce you and then you can come join us." He gestured to Manderly and his wife, "This is the Lord and Lady Manderly of White Harbour. And beside them is Ser Davos Seaworth, hand of the late king Stannis Baratheon, and one of Rickon's protectors."

Gendry bowed to them all, and when he looked up, he noticed Ser Davos looking at him intently, his face turning white as if he had seen a ghost. "Edric?" he said quietly.

Gendry raised his brow in confusion, "Edric?"

Jon shook his head and interrupted, "This is Ser Gendry of the Hollow Hill."

Ser Davos shook his head, remembering himself, "Of course, Ser Gendry. Apologies but you look much like a boy I knew years ago" he paused, thinking, "Tell me, what is your last name?"

Gendry froze, not sure of what to say. He looked to Arya frantically, but she wasn't staring at him, she was shooting daggers at Ser Davos, "His last name is Waters, what of it?"

Gendry sighed, relieved that Arya had answered for him. She spoke again before anyone could further the subject, "Come join us for breakfast Gendry."

He smiled and nodded, "Of course m'lady."

Gendry was forced to sit beside Ser Davos as he ate, and he soon found that Davos was a nice man. He smiled as he talked and when he looked at Gendry, as if remembering his past. Eventually though, he came back to Gendry's heritage, "So you're a bastard then?"

Gendry cringed, "Yes I am."

"The boy, Edric, who looked like you, he was a bastard a well. Tell me, do you know of your parentage?" Gendry looked up at the others to see if they were listening, and his gaze was met with Arya's. She had an intense look in her eye. Gendry looked at the others and saw that they were all listening to the conversation.

Just as he was about to answer the question, Lord Manderly piped in, "Well you definitely have the Baratheon look about you."

There was a clang of a fork hitting a plate, and everyone turned to look at Aegon. He was glaring at no one in particular, "A Baratheon?"

Lord Manderly, thinking nothing of Aegon's tone, continued, "Aye. Ser Davos didn't you say that you knew one of Robert Baratheon's bastards."

Ser Davos nodded, "Aye. Edric."

The table went silent, and Gendry looked down to his plate, but he could feel everyone's stares, Aegon's glare. It was Jon who broke the silence, "Are you Robert Baratheon's bastard Gendry?"

Gendry didn't know why he felt nervous. He didn't choose who his father was, nor did he want any association with the dead drunk anyway. He didn't even see why it mattered. He didn't say anything though, couldn't bring himself too. He knew of the stories of what the drunk king had done to the Targaryens. It was Arya who spoke up for him, "Aye. We believe that he is a bastard of the drunk king, but what of it?" she paused, and Gendry looked up at her, sending her a thankful smile before she continued, "He's not acknowledged, nor does he want to be."

Aegon shook his head in disgust and stood in anger, "You let me ride into battle with a Baratheon?! Do you have any idea what they did to my family?"

Arya stood up quickly, kicking her chair behind her, "Do you have any idea what I'll do to you if you don't shut up!?"

Jon stood up between them, "Stop this nonsense. Arya you have to stop insulting Aegon. You could get into a lot of trouble."

Arya huffed and sat back down, "He should stop insulting my pack then." Gendry's heart swelled at her words, hearing that he was part of her pack.

Jon rolled his eyes, "And Gendry, you have no intentions to be a Baratheon, correct? No wish to avenge your dead father?"

Arya snorted, and Jon gave her a swift kick under the table, which she instantly returned. Gendry shook his head, "No m'lord."

Jon gave a curt nod. "Good, now Aegon you can leave this alone. Gendry is Arya's friend and she trusts him, therefore I trust him."

Aegon huffed and returned his attention to his food. After a moment of silence, Lord Manderly began bellowing in laughter. His wife looked at him confused, "What's so funny my dear?"

He gestured around the table to all of his new guests, "I haven't been this entertained in years!"

* * *

 ** _A/N: There you have it! Hope you enjoyed it! Feisty Arya is my favorite Arya._**

 ** _Please please please comment! I love hearing your opinions and what you'd like to happen in the story. Any ideas for whose perspective the next chapter should be from? I'm thinking Arya or Jon, but I'm not 100% sold yet. Anyone interested in another Jon chapter? Or perhaps an Aegon chapter?_**


	35. Chapter 35: Jon

**_A/N: No reviews on the last chapter….I'm sad! But at least I can see people are still reading it, which is nice! I decided to write from Jon's perspective here, and it will probably continue to be him for the next chapter. Hope you enjoy the chapter! Please review and let me know what you think!_**

* * *

Jon had been a little taken aback at breakfast. He was confused as to why Arya didn't tell him of Gendry's heritage before. Not that any of that mattered to Jon anyways, seeing as he was raised a bastard as well, but it clearly bothered Aegon. Jon could only hope that this news would not reach the Queen. She had been fair enough to Shireen, but Jon feared the same could not be said for a child of Robert Baratheon.

The rest of the meal had gone on fine. Jon spoke amiably to Lord Manderly, and informed him of the Queen's plans of the war with the Other's. He also informed them of the upcoming battle with the Bolton's, to which he had said, "About bloody time".

After they finished eating, Jon could tell that Arya was getting anxious beside him. He leaned over to her and spoke in her ear, "Are you alright?"

Arya nodded, "Just wondering where Rickon is."

"Right." Jon leaned back and cleared his throat, gaining attention. "My Lord, perhaps it is time for you to show us Rickon and Shaggydog."

Lord Manderly nodded, "Of course. I should warn 'ya though that he is one wild thing. His wolf is even worse."

Arya spoke beside him, "We'll have to see for ourselves."

The Lord nodded and stood from his chair, "Of course. Let us go then."

The rest of the table stood and promptly moved to follow the Lord out of the hall. As they walked the long corridors, Jon couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to see Rickon. Would Jon even recognize him? After all he was only three when Jon had last seen him. Would Rickon recognize them? Would he trust them? And if he was truly wild, maybe it wouldn't be right to make him Lord of Winterfell. _Arya could always rule Winterfell_ Jon thought. Although he wasn't sure that she would even want to. The truth was, he didn't really know her at all anymore.

When they had fought the men outside the gates of White Harbour, Jon had been surprised at what a skilled fighter Arya had turned into. She had such grace when she moved, but still attacked with such ferocity. When she killed men, she showed no sign of remorse, her eyes ever dark. She never even flinched. After the battle, Arya did not have a scratch upon her. In truth, it almost scared him. How little he knew her. They had been so close in Winterfell, but the years had changed them. He was still curious as to where she had been all this time, how she learned to fight so well, but that was for another time. Now, they had to focus on Rickon, and defeating the bastard Bolton.

After an extensive, silent walk, they came to a long, seemingly empty corridor. At the other end, was an open archway leading to the outside grounds. As they moved closer, they saw a very large black shadow appear in the outside snow. Shaggydog stood in the archway growling as they approached. He had grown so large! Perhaps as large as Ghost, however certainly not as large as Nymeria, but still very large. True to his name, he had long, shaggy black fur that looked wet from the snowfall outside.

All of them stood still, not moving, just watching the direwolf in front of them. Except for Arya of course, who had moved forward, slowly making her way over to him. When she was about five paces from him, he stopped growling and turned his head to look behind him. A boy approached, entering the archway.

"Rickon?" Jon whispered, not even recognizing his own voice. The boy looked at them wearily. He definitely had a wild look about him, scraggly curls atop his head, a thick wilding fur covering him and a dangerous look in his eyes. There was no doubting it was him though. He had the Tully look about him; auburn hair and bright blue eyes.

When Rickon didn't respond, Ser Davos spoke beside him, "Rickon, this is your sister Arya, and your brother Jon. Do you remember them?"

Rickon shrugged. "Osha!" he yelled over his shoulder. A wilding-looking woman appeared behind him. She put her hands protectively on Rickon's shoulders and looked over to them, acknowledging them.

Ser Davos spoke again, "This is Osha. She is the wilding woman who has been protecting Rickon ever since they escaped Winterfell.

Jon nodded to the woman, "We cannot thank you enough for looking after him."

Osha nodded, looking to the ground, "I care a lot for the little lord. Raised 'im like he was me own."

"And we thank you for it."

"Are 'ya here to take 'im back to Winterfell?"

"Aye."

They all stood in silence for a moment before they heard a wolf howling in the distance. Rickon listened, intrigued, and then spoke finally spoke to Jon, "Did you bring your wolf here?"

Arya spoke up, "I did. Nymeria is just outside the gates. Shall we take Shaggydog to see her?"

Rickon nodded enthusiastically and then took off running down the hall, slipping right past them. Shaggydog followed behind. They all stood still for a moment, watching, bewildered, before following him. Arya ran right after them. When they finally made it to the gate, Arya and Rickon were already there with their wolves. It seemed as though Nymeria had tackled the wild black wolf and they were now play-fighting. Rickon joined in as well, jumping of his wolf's back and falling to the ground. Arya joined him then too, with a big smile on her face. Soon all four of them were rolling around in the snow, laughing.

Jon couldn't help but stare lovingly at the seen. He tuned when Osha spoke beside him, "Looks like they get on well."

Jon nodded, "Aye. Arya was always a wild one." They all watched the scene before them, brother and sister reuniting in more ways than one. Jon threw a sideways glance to Arya's friend Gendry. He knew little of the man, but it was clear that he cared for Arya, and Jon was thankful that Arya had had a friend with her these past few years. As Jon looked at Gendry, he saw a huge grin appear on his face, and a playful laughter release as he watched Arya and Rickon amiably.

* * *

After Arya and Rickon had calmed down and dried off from the wet snow, they had all returned to the main hall where they were now having a discussion. Arya was now the one speaking, "The Tully's will arrive soon, along with the Brotherhood without Banners, and the Knights of the Vale. With their help we should easily be able to take Winterfell easily."

"And what of the other northern houses that have fallen under Bolton influence?" Lord Manderly asked.

Arya shrugged, "We will have to fight them on the battlefield. I have sent letters to all the northern houses, asking for them to fight with us. We shall see who will respond."

Lord Manderly nodded, "We will definitely have House's Mormont, Cassel, Reed, Marsh, Dustin and Poole on our side. The same cannot be said for House's Karstark, Umber and Glover. And we cannot be sure about all the others."

Ser Davos piped in looking to Jon, "What will happen to them once the battle is won?"

Jon watched as Arya's stare went blank, eyes dark, "The North remembers."

Jon shook his head knowing that Arya would want the heads of all Lords who defied the Stark family, but knowing full well that the Queen would never allow it. "We shall worry about that when the time comes." He looked beside him to Aegon, and noticed that he was about to speak up. Jon silenced him with single shake of his head.

Lord Manderly let out a laugh, standing from his seat, "Well I don't reckon I'll be much help" he said as he patted his large belly, "but I wouldn't mind a good fight." They all laughed around him.

Rickon rose from his seat as well, "Can I fight too?"

Osha put her arms on his shoulders, "Best not to risk it little lord."

Rickon whined, "But I know how to fight!"

"Yeah? And how do ya' reckon a wilding boy of 11 will do against North men?"

Rickon shrugged, "But I'll have Shaggydog!"

Jon shook his head, "Shaggydog will remain with you, to protect you."

Rickon huffed. Jon sent a pleading look to Arya, and she nodded in understanding. "Gendry" she said, "Why don't you go find the wolf pack and introduce them to Rickon and Shaggydog."

Gendry nodded and smiled, "Of course m'lady."

Arya walked over to her friend and shoved him. Gendry laughed. They all watched the exchange in confusion. Arya then went to Rickon, "You'll love the pack, and maybe Shaggydog can go hunting with them."

Rickon smiled, "Alright!" he reached over and grabbed Osha's and Gendry hands forcibly, "Let's go!"

Jon laughed as he watched them go. He turned to Ser Davos, "Is he always like this?"

"Aye."

Turning back to the matter at hand Jon said, "We shall wait until the others get here and then we will make our way to Winterfell. Based on where I saw them last, they should arrive in a day or two."

Lord Manderly nodded, "It'll be a long trek north" he paused, "But until then you are welcome here in White Harbour my prince, my prince, my lady."

They all gave their thanks and Jon turned to leave when Aegon spoke. "Is there any chance you have a smith here my lord? My sword is quite dull, and my breastplate could use some work after last night."

The large lord shook his head, "Our smith passed only a year into the winter."

Arya interjected, "Gendry's a smith. If my lord has a forge, Gendry can fix your sword."

Aegon smiled at her. Lord Manderly nodded and gestured to Willem, "You can show them the way Willem."

* * *

Jon, Aegon and Arya had deposited their weapons in the forge, awaiting Gendry to fix them, and then headed out to find where Rickon and Gendry had got to. Aegon was walking ahead of them and Jon ha fallen into step beside Arya. "You were quite the warrior last night, little sister" he said, playfully mussing her hair.

She smiled and gave him a gentle shove, "What do you call that method of fighting?"

She turned to look straight ahead, "The water dance."

Jon nodded, "Is that Tyroshi?"

Arya shook her head, "Bravosi" she paused, "Father got me a dance master while at King's Landing. After fleeing, I kept it up."

"I see. Well it suits you well. I must say you were quite impressive."

She laughed, "I must've killed what, 6, 7 men? You haven't seen anything yet big brother."

Jon stopped walking and stared at her in disbelief, "How many men have you killed Arya?"

She shrugged, "I've lost count." She sent him a devious smile.

That made him feel worse. "Should I be worried about you Arya?"

Before she got a chance to answer, Aegon called back to them and drew their attention to Rickon being welcomed by the wolf pack, Gendry standing on the side, observing. Arya left Jon's side and ran over to Gendry, and Jon hastened to keep up.

Jon watched as Arya grabbed Gendry's good arm, "Come on" she said, "We have weapons that need mending."

Gendry grinned at her, and happily allowed himself to be pulled back to the castle by Arya. Aegon came to Jon's side, "What exactly is going on there?"

Jon shook his head, annoyed, "They are friends."

Aegon snorted, "Pretty close friends." Jon glared at him, "What? Gendry is a man. Can't say I blame him either" Aegon looked to where Gendry and Arya were disappearing from view, "Your sister is quite beautiful."

Jon shook his head, and shoved Aegon forcibly to the snowy ground. "Don't get any ideas."

Aegon laughed as he scrambled to stand, a grin spreading across his face, "Wouldn't dream of it brother."

* * *

A while later, Jon made his way over to the forge. He hadn't seen Arya since that afternoon, and what Aegon had insinuated was really starting to bother him. Arya had never shown interest in boys before. She had always sworn that she would never marry some lord. She would always say how much she envied her brothers, and how she wished she were born a boy.

A boy she certainly was not though! She had grown into a beautiful woman, and Jon couldn't help but wonder if this was what his mother had looked like, the classic Stark look, but softer somehow, and the long dark waves that glistened in the snow. He knew his sister, well cousin, was wildly beautiful, and he saw that other men noticed it too. Lord Manderly had said as much at lunch, and Jon could tell that Aegon would soon be infatuated with Arya's wild ways. Gendry on the other hand though; while it was plain that he had a strong affection for Arya, it was difficult to read what his intentions were. Jon made a mental note to confront Gendry about it later.

As Jon approached the forge, he saw that it was alight, with smoke escaping through the chimney. When he was about twenty paces away, he saw Gendry working away with his one good arm, the other still wrapped, with only an apron covering his naked torso. Through the rhythmic beat of hammer on steel, Jon could hear Arya's voice. Jon moved closer and saw Arya perched on a small table in the corner, watching Gendry as he worked. It reminded him of how she used to watch Mikken at Winterfell.

Curious as to what Arya was saying, Jon moved to the outside forge wall and crouched below the open window, not allowing his presence to be known. He heard Arya's voice first, "He's not that bad."

Gendry scoffed, as he continued beating away, "Thinks highly of himself."

Arya shook her head, "He's a prince, what do you expect?"

Gendry turned toward her, "Your brother's a prince and he doesn't act all entitled."

Arya laughed, "Entitled? Big word for – "

Arya was silenced as Gendry reached over and pinched her nose with his greasy fingers. Jon gasped from where he was watching, worriedly. Arya continued laughing and shoved Gendry away. Gendry smiled, "You know what I mean."

Arya sighed, calming her laughter, "Yes, well Jon was raised a Stark."

Gendry nodded and returned to his work, "I still don't trust the dragon prince though."

Arya seemed to agree, "Aye. I don't trust him much either. But Jon seems to trust him, so I guess we will learn to."

Gendry let out a laugh, "Is Arya Stark softening for a pretty silver-haired prince?" Arya glared at him and then pounced on him, growling as she knocked him over and the tumbled to the dirty forge floor. Jon watched, horrified. "Careful" Gendry yelled through his bellowing laughter, "You could hurt yourself near the hot steel."

Arya shoved his shoulders to the ground and hovered over him, "I'd be more worried about yourself, if I were you."

Gendry raised his brow playfully, "You shouldn't threaten people who are bigger than you."

Arya smiled, leaning closer, "Then I wouldn't be able to threaten anyone." Gendry laughed and playfully shoved her to the side, and Arya quickly retaliated. Jon could not stand much more of this. Him and Arya used to joke around like this when they were little, but with Gendry it was vastly different. Perhaps Aegon had been right. Perhaps there was something between Arya and her friend. It made Jon feel sick to his stomach. Jon moved to his side and stood, out of the windows view.

He was about to barge in and demand to know what they were up to, when the dinner bell rang. Jon looked to the castle and huffed as he hadn't realized the sun was setting. He heard movement inside the forge, and not a moment later, his sister and her friend exited and began walking towards the castle. Jon quickly hid behind the corner wall, blocked from view in the dark. He watched Arya and Gendry disappear inside with smiles on their faces as they walked side by side. Jon glared at them from afar. It was then that he decided he would have to have a talk with them both.

* * *

 ** _A/N: There you have it! Some protective Jon for you…hope you enjoyed it! There will definitely be more of that in the upcoming chapters. Another Jon chapter up next where he has a talk with our favorite couple, although I don't know how fast I will be able to get it posted, as I am moving in a few weeks, and am quite busy getting everything sorted and packed!_**


	36. Chapter 36: Jon

**_A/N: So sorry for the delay! Extremely busy with the upcoming move, and my full-time job. I try to update as fast as I can, but I want to ensure that I am still putting out my best work, so please be patient with me_** ** _J_** ** _. Also, just a reminder that I fully intend to finish this story! So even if I disappear for a while, I will come back and finish! Love you guys for reading and reviewing! It means so much! Please keep it up!_**

 ** _And to sarah(Guest): 'just getting back into fanfic'….tell me, how did you get out in the first place? Please tell me your secrets! I haven't finished a real book in ages!_**

* * *

At dinner Jon was unable to keep his eyes off of Gendry and Arya. They seemed overly comfortable with each other, and Jon felt a twinge of jealousy rise in his gut. Jon had never seen Arya this comfortable with a boy who wasn't one of her brothers. Don't get him wrong, Jon wanted Arya to be happy, but he never thought that a man would make her happy. There was no man in existence that could be good enough for Arya, _nor one that could handle her_ , Jon thought.

Aegon seemed to pick up on Jon's discomfort and leaned in to speak to him, "You don't know the whole story" Jon glared at him, "Just talk to her."

Jon sighed, "She just feels so far away."

"I'm sure she thinks the same of you."

Jon nodded, "Aye. You're probably right."

"I always am." Jon laughed and playfully nudged Aegon with his shoulder and smiled. It had been nice these past few years, getting to know his half-brother. He almost reminded him of Robb, except Robb had been less self-important. Aegon was friendly and smart, a true companion on the battlefield, and Jon was happy to call him brother. That didn't take away from the wanting he felt though when he saw Arya with Gendry. When he looked at Arya, all he could see was the small girl who would throw food across the table, the girl who was so thankful to receive Needle from him. Jon smiled, he was glad that she still had the blade, although she was almost too tall for it now, really grown into her own.

Jon was drawn from his thoughts when Willem entered the hall carrying letters. Lord Manderly stood, "Willem m'boy. Bring the letters here."

"Of course m'lord." Willem approached and instead of handing the letters to Lord Manderly, he handed them to Arya, who stood to receive them.

Arya smiled, "Letters from the Northern houses!"

Jon grinned back at her, "Which ones?"

Arya looked down, examining the seals of the letters before her, "House Mormont, Reed and Cassel." She paused to open them, and began reading. After a silent moment, she let out a giddy laugh, "They are going to fight with us."

Jon nodded, "Of course they are!"

Arya beamed at him, "We must begin our battle plans immediately and inform the other houses. With the North's support, we will be able to attack Bolton on all sides."

Lord Manderly nodded and raised his cup, "Har har! The bastard will finally get what's coming to him." They all nodded, and Jon looked to Arya to see a devious smile spread across her face.

* * *

After dinner, they had all made their way over to Lord Manderly's chambers, where in one room, there was a map of the north, with respective sigils placed based on who claimed what territory. Jon watched as the plump man began moving pieces about. "Bolton is at Winterfell, and will likely get his banners to come to him. He's not likely to meet us out on the battlefield."

They all nodded, and Davos spoke up beside him, "We must be careful though. If the bastard senses defeat, he'll likely finish burning the place down."

Arya huffed angrily, "Perhaps we could get some people on the inside before the battle starts. That way we could spy on them, and attempt to stop them if things go south."

Jon shook his head, sensing that she meant to send herself into Bolton territory, "No Arya. I know what you're suggesting and the answer is no. It's too risky."

Arya glared at him, "And whose army is this again? Oh yes, mine" she paused, "Besides, I could kill him easily, and then there would be no need for a battle. Isn't that what the queen would want? Minimal blood shed and all that?"

"And what, you suppose he's just going to open Winterfell's doors for you and that you'll go in and stay unnoticed, kill him unnoticed? Just because you kill their Lord, does not mean they will flock to you."

"I can be very sneaky you know. You have no idea what I'm capable of."

Jon stared at her in disbelief and then narrowed his eyes at her, "I said no."

"But – "

"M'lady" Gendry said beside him. Gendry had been silent the whole time, and his voice almost startled Jon. Jon looked between Gendry and Arya, and saw Gendry give a firm shake of his head, telling her no.

Arya let out a growl and then sighed, "Fine. But don't look to me when the queen asks the reason for all the blood lost. Their blood will be on your hands."

Jon stared at her intently. She hadn't said it to sound angry or annoyed, she said it matter-of-factly, and that bothered him. As if the blood-shed was nothing. Perhaps her plan would have been the better option. But there was no way Jon was letting Arya go to Winterfell on her own. Perhaps he could send others though, others that would surely not be recognized. He would have to think on that later.

Attempting to diffuse the tension, Lord Manderly cleared his throat, "Perhaps we shall break for the night and await more letters in the morning. And from what you've told me, we should be expecting the Tully's and the Knights of the Vale tomorrow. I have to see if I can round up some food for them."

Jon nodded in agreement and watched as the others shuffled their way out of the room. Gendry was just about to follow Arya out of the room, but Jon called to him. "Gendry, I was wondering if you could repair my breastplate."

"Of course."

Jon smiled, "Great. I will go get it and meet you at the forge shortly."

* * *

When Jon had grabbed his dented breastplate, he carried it across the courtyard towards the forge. Smoke was escaping through the chimney, and Jon felt its warmth as he drew nearer. Gendry was already hard at work when Jon entered. He stopped when Jon cleared his throat. Gendry reached over and took the breastplate from Jon's hands and placed it on the anvil.

"Doesn't look too bad. I can have this done by morning, after I finish these swords." He said, pointing to the three swords lying on the anvil in front of him.

Jon nodded and thanked him, but he made no move towards the door. Instead, he sat down on a nearby chair. Gendry raised his brow to him, "Anything else you need m'lo – er – Jon?"

"Aye. I was wondering if we could talk for a moment."

Jon watched as Gendry nervously lowered the hammer placing it on the table beside the anvil, before coming to sit on the stool next to Jon. "You seem to have made yourself at home here" Gendry nodded, and Jon continued, "Arya tells me you prefer to stay out here rather than take a room in the main castle."

"I'm no one special m"l – er – Jon. I like blacksmithing, and it is often easier to stay closer to my work. Won't disrupt anyone if I stay up late working."

Jon nodded in understanding, "I see. Well I won't keep you long, but I wanted to speak with you about Arya."

Jon heard Gendry release a shallow breath, "What about her?"

"Well you two seem to be close and I just wonder how that came to be."

Gendry nodded, "As she said before, we traveled on the road together. She was probably the youngest of the lot, but also the toughest" Jon smiled, "When I noticed she was a girl, I got a little worried of how the others would react when they found out. We were travelling with rapers and thieves after all. So I got her out of trouble a few times, and she did the same for me."

"And did you know she was a highborn then?"

Gendry shook his head, "Not until she told me. I never told no one though."

"How exactly did you get separated?"

"Well, we were with the Brotherhood by then, and they were looking to ransom Arya to the King in the North. We were on our way there too, but Arya got upset one night and ran off. I went looking for her, but couldn't find her" he paused and Jon couldn't help but notice the sad look on his face, "About a fortnight or so later, we began hearing rumours of her being with the Hound."

Jon nodded, "And then you didn't see her again for 5 years?"

Gendry looked to the forge floor, "Aye. There were rumours of her being at the red wedding, but we looked for her after and never found her."

"Surely you didn't expect to find her alive?"

Gendry looked at Jon, and Jon could tell that this was a painful memory for him. "I had to know for sure." Jon nodded, and Gendry shook his head, as if ridding himself of the memory. "After that there were more rumours of her, but I knew they couldn't be true. I knew she would never allow herself to be married to Bolton."

"Aye. I thought the same as well" Jon shifted in his chair, "So you stayed on with the Brotherhood?"

"In a way. I helped manage an Inn they often went to in the Riverlands. They housed orphans there, as well as the occasional traveler. It was me and two other girls that ran it."

"I see. And when Arya came back and found you, you just abandoned your post at the Inn and went with her?"

Gendry looked to the floor, "I wouldn't say abandon. I left it in capable hands."

Jon felt himself getting irritated, "Why would you abandon the Inn anyway? Why leave to go with Arya?"

Gendry raised his head and gave Jon a sad stare, "I – well – I, she is my friend. I did not want her to travel on her own. I wanted to see her back to her family."

"She could have just traveled with the Brotherhood."

Gendry snorted, "I wouldn't trust that lot if I were you."

"Ah I see. So you were protecting her from them?"

Gendry sighed, "Among other things. Don't tell her that though."

Jon couldn't help the laugh that came out, "Aye. She isn't one to accept help."

Gendry nodded, "She didn't even want me to go with her at first, but I followed her anyways. I thought I would never find her, but then Nymeria found me."

"Nymeria found you?"

"Aye. And she brought me to Arya" he paused, "I think that was enough to convince her to let me stay."

Jon nodded, and beginning to feel uncomfortable, decided to change the subject, "Did she happen to tell you where she has been all this time?" Gendry shook his head, looking to the floor, "And she still hasn't told you?"

"She avoids the subject."

Jon sighed, "Will you tell me if she confides in you?"

"I don't think it's really my place m'lo – Jon. You should probably speak to her yourself."

"I intend to." They sat there for a few moments in uncomfortable silence as Jon thought about confronting Arya. Jon could tell that she was hiding something, but clearly Gendry didn't know what it was. Jon was worried about her though, worried about letting her past define her. Jon could tell Gendry worried for her too. "It's nice to know that Arya has had a companion for some time, since I was unable to travel with her."

Gendry made no sound, just continuously looked to the floor. So Jon continued, "I can tell you care for her a great deal. And she cares for you too, and she trusts you." Gendry shrugged. "Look Gendry, you seem to be a great friend for her, but we are on the brink of war, and after this is all over, Arya could be named Lady of Winterfell. Her people will need her; the north will need her. She may be expected to marry, not that _anyone_ deserves her. I – I don't want her to be distracted, or to be weighted down." Jon hoped that Gendry understood what he was getting at, "I do not wish to see her hurt."

Gendry turned toward him, shoulders hunched, "I would never – "

"I know. I just worry about her. I want to protect her." They sat there in silence for a few moments longer before Jon finally stood, "Well, I best let you get back to your work." He walked towards the door, "Make sure to get some rest."

Gendry nodded, "Thank you m'lord."

* * *

Jon had felt like he had just begun to rest after pondering his conversation with Gendry for hours, when he heard pounding at his door. He groggily opened his eyes, lifted his body from the bed and hastened to answer the door. Arya stood there, still in her clothes from earlier that day. She was fuming as she pushed past him and began pacing the room. Jon closed the door and turned to her, "Arya what is going on?"

She stopped and glared at him, furiously shaking her head, "Don't you dare Jon Snow, Stark, Targaryen, what in seven hells is your name anyway?"

"Gods be good Arya, what has gotten into – "

She came to him and poked her finger into his shoulder, "Did you say something to him?"

Jon looked to the ceiling attempting to evade the question, "To who?"

Arya pulled his chin down, making him look her in the eye, "You know exactly who."

Jon reached up to pull her hand down and then held it in his. "We just had a conversation. He seems like a nice man, and I only wanted to know him better."

Arya ripped her hand away and began pacing once more, "Is that why? Are you sure you weren't trying to spy on me?"

Jon sighed, "I care about you Arya, he cares about you. I thought he might know more."

"And why did you not just come to me?"

"Because you seem so closed off. One minute you're smiling and talking and the next your eyes go all dark and it's like you're lost to the world!"

"You know nothing Jon." Jon felt as though she had punched him in the gut when she said the words Ygritte had said to him so many times, years ago.

Pushing his feelings aside he said, "Then tell me."

She stopped moving and put her head in her hands, "I – I don't want to."

Jon sucked in a breath in surprise, "Why not?"

"Because, it won't change what I've done, what I've become. And I can't bare for you to keep looking at me like that."

Jon tried to relax his face, "Like what?"

She lifted her face from her hands and raised her brow at him but said nothing. He almost let out a laugh. Silence passed between them before Arya moved towards the door, "Don't bother Gendry about this again. And don't go putting stupid ideas in his head."

"What kind of ideas?"

"That he's a distraction. That he's just a lowborn." Jon hung his head, suddenly feeling ashamed as she continued, "Gendry knows who he is, and you of all people should understand that." Arya moved back towards him and gave him one last hug, "You were a bastard, and I loved you all the same. Why can the same not be said for Gendry?"

Jon leaned back from the hug and looked to the floor with a guilty look on his face, "I'm sorry Arya. You're right, of course you are" he looked at her sad smile and hugged her once more, "I'm just protective over you, that's all."

Jon felt Arya nod against his shoulder, "And I'm protective over you, and Gendry."

"I see that now. I'm sorry" he paused, plucking up the courage to ask, "Is there something going on between you and Gendry, Arya?"

She leaned back and laughed, Jon didn't know what to make of it. "Would you do anything about it if there was?"

Jon felt his face go pale as he began to feel light-headed. This made Arya laugh even more, "Arya?" he said with a dry throat.

"Oh Jon, leave it alone. What does it matter? Names, titles, they mean nothing to me. You know that."

"I – I – he's not good enough for you. No one is."

Arya rolled her eyes and shook her head, "I am not the innocent little girl who used to run wild in the Godswood anymore Jon. I can take care of myself, judge for myself."

Jon couldn't help himself as he stepped forward and pulled her into a hug once more. They hugged for a few more minutes before saying their goodnights and Arya left the room. Jon closed the door behind her and went back to his bed, sighing as he let himself fall into it.

As he thought more on Gendry, he realized that he had been too quick to judge. Gendry seemed a decent man, no matter his status and Arya deserved to be happy. Jon knew what it was like to be a bastard, to have no name and no titles. He was happy that Gendry had turned out to be a kind person. Jon was still unsure of exactly what Gendry and Arya's relationship entailed though, but tried to bring himself not to care. He didn't think Gendry would hurt her, if anything it would be the other way around. He would have to remember to apologize to Gendry in the morning. Jon let out a long, exasperated breath and let his eyes drift closed.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Another chapter complete! Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? I just want to know! In this chapter, Arya doesn't outright say her feelings for Gendry, because she still doesn't quite understand them herself. She feels so comfortable with him though, and I think that's all she needs right now._**

 ** _Arya chapter up next, where you'll find out the conversation our favorite couple had that sent Arya storming to Jon's room in the middle of the night. Then the rest of the army will arrive and plans will come to light. The battle is coming soon my friends! Thanks again for reading!_**


	37. Chapter 37: Arya

**_A/N: Hi everyone! So sorry for the delay! Things have been hectic with the move and starting my Master's degree! Here is the next chapter. The first part leads up to where Jon's chapter finished. Hope you enjoy it! I'm not sure when I will be able to post the next chapter as I am pretty busy at the moment. I'll try my best to get it posted in the next two to three weeks though! Apologies in advance for the delay!_**

 ** _And to Sarah: Thanks for commenting! I too get trapped in fanfic bubbles, but I always find my way back to GOT. I don't know if I'll ever be able to escape haha_**

* * *

After the discussion in Lord Manderly's chambers, Arya left the castle and decided to go see the wolf pack. She found that she always felt comforted there, with the wolves radiating a sense of peace. When she walked outside the gate, Nymeria was there to greet her. Arya stroked her amicably and then hopped on her back, "Let's go for a run."

And so they did. The ran for what felt like forever and Arya couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. She didn't care that the winds were bitter, that the snow was blowing and blinding her view. She felt free.

Eventually they came to a stop when they reached the rest of the pack. Arya climbed off of Nymeria's back and fell into the snow, laughing. A few members of the pack came beside her and laid down at her sides, offering her warmth. Nymeria lay above her head, acting as a pillow. Arya sighed, feeling content, her mind rested.

* * *

It had gotten quite dark when Arya opened her eyes again, so she thought she best be getting back to the White Harbour. She woke Nymeria, who was not at all impressed, but complied all the same when Arya hopped on her back, silently asking her to take her back to the castle.

They were there in no time at all, and Arya was relieved to see the castle again as the cold night was becoming too much to bare. Arya said her goodbyes to Nymeria and then went through the gate. She was on her way to her chambers when she saw the smoke rising from the forge. _Gendry is still awake,_ she thought. She diverted her course and made her way over to the inviting warmth.

Arya did not bother knocking, but instead just opened the door. She walked in, closing the door behind her and stood for a moment, watching the play of Gendry's muscles as he finished up fixing what looked to be Jon's breastplate. Gendry did not turn to greet her, but obviously sensed her presence, "What are you doing here Arya?"

Despite him not looking at her, Arya rolled her eyes anyway, "It's nice and warm in here, well, apart from you. What has you acting so stubborn?"

Gendry groaned and put down his hammer, grabbing water to throw over the fire. "I'm a stubborn bull remember?"

Arya scoffed, "Of course, how could I ever forget?"

Gendry gave her an exasperated look, "What do you want Arya? Shouldn't you be asleep in your chambers already?"

"I never went to my chambers."

Seeming to read her mind, Gendry narrowed his eyes at her, "No. You cannot sleep here."

"I don't remember asking."

Gendry huffed, "You never ask!"

Arya glared at him, "I didn't think I had to."

Gendry raised his arms in disbelief, "Of course, m'lady high always does as she pleases, and takes what she wants."

She took off her gloves and threw them at him, "Stupid bull! What has put you in such a sour mood?"

He put her gloves on the table and sat down, putting his head in his hands. After a moment, he looked at her. She saw confusion in his blue eyes. "You should not be here. Especially at night. What if Jon or Lord Man – "

Arya raised her brow, "What? Did somebody say something to you?" Gendry lowered his head. "I take that as a yes then."

His blue eyes met hers, "Gods Arya! I – I don't really know what we're doing here" he said as he pointed between them, "but it's wrong, and it's a distraction, and I don't want it to affect what happens after the war."

"What happens after the war?"

Gendry scratched the back of his head, "Um, well, you'll probably become Lady of Winterfell and eventually have to marry some lord."

Arya laughed, but Gendry continued, "You know it's true. For your family, you would marry."

Arya shook her head, "I will not" she said matter-of-factly, moving to in front of where he was sitting, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I will help my family get Winterfell back, I will help the realm win the war with the others, but that is all. I have no interest in becoming Lady of Winterfell, no interest in ruling."

His eyes bore into hers, "But your honour, your family – "

"If my family still cares for me, they will understand. And screw honour. It has done no one any good."

"But Jon – "

Arya sighed, "So it was Jon? What exactly did he say to you?"

"He didn't come right out and say it, but I could tell he was implying that he thought it was wrong to leave the Inn, and that I never should have followed you. That I'm merely a distraction."

Arya scowled, "Gods be good, I'm gonna – "

Gendry stood quickly, "No Arya, leave it be. He had every right. He's your brother. Not only that but he's a prince!"

Arya rolled her eyes, growing agitated, "Stupid bull!" She shoved his shoulder and then went to leave.

"Arya wait, where are you going?"

She turned around and smiled at him mischievously, "I'm going to bed." She heard him let out a groan and then she turned and slammed the door, hastily making her way back to the castle and up towards Jon's chambers. She would have a talk with her dear brother.

* * *

After speaking with Jon, Arya did not really feel any better. Her brother worried about her. Gendry worried about her as well, but at least he wasn't bringing it up all the time. Arya sighed, she supposed she should tell them soon about her time across the Narrow Seas, but she was scared. Scared that Jon would not look at her the same, scared that he would no longer muss her hair and call her little sister. She really didn't think it would bother Gendry much though. He wasn't one to judge others. But there was still something deep inside her telling her not to tell him, and she had no idea what it was. She supposed that it might be the fact that they were currently in the war, and nothing else seemed to matter. It could also be that Gendry wasn't sure what he would do after the war. Surely he wouldn't abandon her, _would he?_

Arya shook her head, freeing her from her thoughts. It was then that she looked up and took in her surroundings. After leaving Jon's room she had just wondered around, paying no mind to where she was walking. But her feet had not taken her back to her chambers. No, she had ended up at the forge, of course.

Arya felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth as she entered the forge. The room was dark, as Gendry had gone to bed since she left. Luckily, she knew the way though. She quietly tip-toed her way over to the small cot. She could see the outline of Gendry's lumpy form that took up most of the cot. Arya pulled back the covers and gently shoved Gendry in the shoulder, hoping that he would move over. Apparently, he was only half asleep, as he lifted his body and shifted it closer to the wall, saying, "You shouldn't."

Arya rolled her eyes, "I don't see you stopping me."

He sighed in his sleep and scrunched up his face, "Couldn't if I wanted to."

Arya let out a laugh as she climbed into the cot, settling it to Gendry's side. "At least you realize that."

She gazed at him and saw a sleepy smile on his lips. She snuggled in closer as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. His breathing slowed once again and Arya thought he was asleep. She was having trouble sleeping though, thoughts of what Jon said, and all of her doubts still fresh in her mind. _What would she do after the war?_ She didn't think Winterfell would ever feel like home again, and she didn't want to be stuck marrying some prissy lord. The truth is, she couldn't really picture life after the war, and that scared her. She turned her head up once more to gaze at Gendry, who had fallen into a happy slumber. She felt a sad smile creep up on her face, "Don't ever leave me" she whispered.

She let her eyes drift close, and slowly, she began to fall asleep. Just before she did though, Gendry whispered out a response, still half asleep, "Never."

* * *

Arya woke in the early hours of the morning, and rose from the cot, trying not to wake a still-sleeping Gendry. She smiled as she watched him reach out to her, wondering where she had gone. Arya shook her head and gathered her things, tucking her tunic back into her breeches and putting on her winter cloak. She quietly made her way to the door and left the forge without making a sound.

The temperatures were well below freezing today, but the sun was rising brightly in the sky, offering some solace. By the time Arya had returned to her chambers, washed up and made her way to the dining hall, breakfast was already being served. Jon smiled at her as she sat down beside her, offering everyone a 'Good morning'.

They all ate slowly, enjoying what little food they had on their plates. Gendry came in some time later, carrying Jon's breastplate, which Willem took from him. Jon smiled, "Thank you for fixing that Gendry."

Gendry opened his mouth as if to speak, but thought the better of it and instead just offered Jon a small smile, before coming to sit next to Arya. She passed him some food as she said, "You slept late. Must've had a good sleep."

He turned and glared at her, "I was working late, m'lady." She went to kick him under the table, but instead, accidentally kicked Aegon, who was sitting across from them.

Aegon winced and Gendry was trying his best to hold back laughter by shoving food in his mouth. Jon finally caught on to what was happening, "Arya!"

Arya let out a laugh and shrugged her shoulders. She was about to apologize when Aegon spoke, "It's fine Jon. No harm done." Jon sent Aegon an apologetic look. Aegon turned to Arya, "You know, I can't say I've met many ladies like you, lady Arya."

She snorted, "I'd be surprised if you had" she paused, "Seeing as I'm no lady."

Aegon beamed at her, "You may not act like one, but that doesn't mean that you are not one."

Arya narrowed her eyes at him. She was about to retort, but Aegon spoke again, "You know, I've heard your Aunt was also quite wild. It is known that my father was quite taken by her."

She felt Gendry tense beside her. "Really?" she asked, "I thought it was my Aunt that _got_ taken by your father."

He grinned at her, "I guess we'll never know for sure."

Sensing the tension of the conversation, Jon spoke loudly over their voices, addressing Lord Manderly, "Any more letters received this morning my lord?"

"Aye. The support for our cause is growing."

Jon nodded, "Glad to hear it."

They all ate in awkward silence before being interrupted by a young boy entering the room, "My lord" he bowed before them, "The banners of Riverrun and the Vale approach."

Lord Manderly smacked his hands on the table, "About time! Let us get ready to receive them!"

* * *

Arya waited impatiently by the gate standing beside her two brothers. Rickon was not at all paying attention, but instead just rolling around in the snow with Shaggydog. In the distance Arya could see her great uncle and Sansa's lord husband approach on horseback. When they got closer, Osha pulled Rickon off of Shaggydog and attempted to make him presentable. When they were about twenty feet away, both men descended from their horses and walked over to greet them.

Lord Manderly spoke first, "Lord Hardyng, Blackfish! Pleasure to meet you here my lords."

Arya's great uncle laughed, "Heard there was a war brewing."

"Aye."

Sansa's lord husband stepped forward and took Arya's hand, "How are you Lady Arya?"

Arya smiled, "Doing well, thank you. And how is my sister? Was she upset?"

He nodded, "Aye. She would have been happy spending more time with you, and I the babe, but alas, a Lord and Lady must do their duty."

"Well I thank you for joining us Lord Hardyng."

"Of course." He then moved to shake hands with Jon, who he had clearly met before. The two men were all smiles, speaking amiably of Sansa and the babe.

"And how are you Uncle Brynden?"

He rubbed his stomach, "Would be better with some food in my belly."

Lord Manderly chuckled, "Of course. Well let us go eat!"

The Blackfish signaled to his bannerman, "Go tell the others to set up camp. Food will be brought to them."

As they all turned to walk inside, Arya turned to the Blackfish. "Is the Brotherhood still travelling with you?"

"Aye. Although they were not too happy to see that you had taken off with the wolf pack."

"I can imagine."

Her great uncle laughed, "I wouldn't fret on it Lady Arya."

* * *

They had all eaten an early dinner in the dining hall, and the topic of war seemed to be on everyone's mind. As they were greeting formal guests, Gendry was nowhere in sight. Arya assumed he was probably off with the Brotherhood.

After eating, everyone began discussing battle plans. They had decided that the Tully's and the Knights of the Vale would approach Winterfell head on from the south. Arya would lead the Brotherhood and the Wolf pack on the east side in case the bastard attempted to make a run back to the Dreadfort. The northern houses that agreed to fight with them would attack from the West, while Jon's wildlings would take the North. Arya smiled when speaking of battle. The bastard would be surrounded on all sides, and would have no choice but to surrender. Arya could not wait to kill the bastard. Of course, she did not voice any of this aloud, afraid of what Jon would say. Instead, she pulled the Blackfish and Lord Hardyng aside after the feast and told them, "If you catch the bastard, leave him to me."

They had both simply nodded in understanding. After plans were all finalized; who would be located where, and the fact that they would leave in two days time, giving the men some rest, Arya left the castle and approached the tents. She found the Brotherhood in no time, recognizing Tom's voice easily. When she lifted the flap to the tent and walked inside, the men seemed to be in happy spirits. Tom was singing a tune, and the others were all drinking. Some even had women on their laps, and Arya wondered where they had even come from. Finally seeing Gendry seated next to Harwin, Arya made her way over. As she walked past Tom, he shouted at her, "The little lady graces us with her presence once more!"

The men all cheered, but Arya just stuck her tongue out to him. When she reached Gendry, she shoved him to make space for her before she sat down. Harwin quickly gained her attention, "How was the feast my Lady? Did you come up with plans?"

Arya took Gendry's cup and downed the small amount of wine in it. He sighed in annoyance. "Aye. It looks like you lot will be stuck with me and the wolf pack for the battle."

Eavesdropping, Greenbeard cheered, "You hear that boys? We'll be fighting with the wolves!"

All the men cheered and Arya laughed. Harwin's face remained serious, "These men are itching for a fight. The battle at the Twins barely fulfilled them."

Arya nodded, "Aye. I'm eager for a fight as well. I can't wait to kill that bastard Bolton and get his blood on my hands."

The men all cheered, listening intently. Gendry did not cheer though. Instead he shook his head, stood from his seat and then proceeded to walk toward the door. "Where are you going?" Arya called after him. He didn't respond as he left the tent. Arya was confused; did he not want to hear of all the plans?

Curious, Arya got up to follow him. Thoros called to her, "Little lady, aren't you going to fill us all in?"

She snorted, "In the morning, when all of you aren't so drunk."

The men laughed and Arya could feel some of their eyes following her as she left. In the distance, she saw the forge light up, and could almost make out Gendry's silhouette. Just as she was about to make her way there, Ned appeared beside her, "I don't think he appreciates your bloodlust."

Arya rolled her eyes, "Well he will have to get over it."

Ned smiled, "I'm glad to know that you will be leading us into battle. It feels the Brotherhood finally has a true leader."

"I did not ask to lead them."

Ned stepped closer, "And that is exactly why you make a good leader." Arya looked to the snowy ground, beginning to feel uncomfortable. She was about to tell him goodnight and leave when he spoke again, "You know my Lady, I enjoyed meeting your brother. He seems an honorable man."

Arya nodded, "He is."

Ned moved even closer and Arya could smell the wine his breath. "I only hope to get to know him better after the battle is won" he paused, "And same to you my Lady. I'd love to show you Starfall."

Arya took a step away from him, not liking what he was saying, "What are you implying Ned?"

He took a deep breath, carefully thinking over his thoughts. He opened his mouth to speak but was silenced by Tom's call, "Ned m'boy! Come back an' sing a tune for us."

Ned laughed at Tom's drunken state, "Well I must go my lady. Perhaps we can continue this conversation some other time."

Arya did not respond and instead only glared at him as he said his goodbyes and walked away. Anxious now, Arya hurriedly made her way to the forge. She slammed the door open and shut and quickly made her way closer to the anvil. Gendry stopped in his tracks but did not say anything. "Ned Dayne is completely insufferable."

Gendry snorted, "And what makes you say that m'lady?"

Arya stepped toward him and smacked him on the head, "Do not 'm'lady' me right now!"

Gendry laughed and got back to work, "What did he do?"

Arya glared at the back of Gendry's head, "He was saying how it was _so_ nice to meet my brother, and that he hopes to get to know us bother better after the battle."

"What's so bad about that?"

"Then he said he wanted me to come to Starfall." Gendry froze. "As if I would ever want to go anywhere with that prissy Dayne! Do you remember what he said about my father all those years ago?"

Gendry still wouldn't look at her. "Maybe you'd like Starfall."

"What?" Arya stood, flabbergasted. "Maybe I'd _like_ Starfall?" she said in a mocking tone. "You stupid, stupid bull!"

He finally turned toward her then and her fury was met with his, "Aye, I'm so stupid and you're the smartest highborn that has ever lived. Happy?"

Arya glared and shoved him before hastily stomping out of the forge and making her way to her own chambers. When she finally got to her chambers, she let out a fit of rage and threw one of her daggers across the room. It landed directly in the middle of the headboard. Arya sighed, finally beginning to calm down. She stripped out of her clothes and hopped in her bed. While it was comfier than the small cot in the forge, it was cold. Arya couldn't help but feel the loss of Gendry's warm body beside her. She huffed in annoyance that she missed the stupid bull at all! She reached up and grabbed the dagger, dislodging it from the headboard, and then she stuck it under her pillow for safekeeping. Once she said the names on her list, she let out a long sigh and then slowly descended into her wolf dreams.

* * *

 ** _A/N: There you have it! Sorry again for the delay! Please please please comment and let me know what you think! Gendry chapter up next!_**


	38. Chapter 38: Gendry

**_A/N: Apologies for the delay! Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint! As always, thank you so much for reading and reviewing! Please keep it up!_**

* * *

Gendry was frustrated to say the least. Arya was always barging in when she was not wanted. Well, if he was being honest with himself, that was entirely untrue; Arya was always wanted. That's what frustrated him even more. He wanted to spend all of his time with her, yet whenever she was there, she always found a way to get on his nerves.

Gendry sighed as he turned around once again in his little cot, not able to get comfortable. He couldn't help but wonder if Arya's absence was the cause. Just as Gendry was ready to give up any attempt at sleep and continue working, he heard scratches at the door. Gendry rose from the cot, draped a blanket over his shoulders and walked over to the door to open it. Nymeria stood there, wagging her tail in greeting before she pushed her way into the forge. Gendry closed the door and walked over to stroke her back. Her fur had snow at the tips and she had dried blood around her mouth.

"Just had a feast?"

Nymeria stood tall and shook out her fur, getting Gendry wet and causing him to laugh. Gendry leaned over and grabbed a cloth from the bin. He dipped it in water and then leaned forward to clean Nymeria's face. He paused before proceeding, "You better not bite me." Nymeria did nothing but whine and stare at him with her big yellow eyes. Something about them felt different somehow though, like the time he had first met Nymeria.

Gendry finished cleaning the blood and gave her one last pet, "Time for bed girl." Nymeria seemed to understand and hopped onto Gendry's cot before he could get there, "That's my bed." She let out a small growl. Gendry sighed and then laid out his blanket on the floor and grabbed a pillow from beside Nymeria's large form. "Fine. You win."

A few minutes after he had finally gotten settled on the hard floor, he heard Nymeria move, and then suddenly felt her warm fur against his back. Gendry fell asleep wondering if right now, Arya was having one of her 'wolf dreams' and if it was really Arya next to him.

* * *

Gendry woke to a loud knock at the door, which was followed by Nymeria shoving his side with her head, whining. Gendry grumbled, annoyed. He slowly stood and stretched, sore from the night spent on the hard floor, and then made his way over to the door. He was surprised to see Jon, looking ever put-together. Gendry shook his head to wake himself up more and straightened up, "Mornin' Jon."

Jon smiled, "Good morning Gendry. I hope I didn't wake you."

"Not at all" he lied.

"May I come in?"

Gendry moved aside and opened the door further for him, "Of course."

Jon entered and was quickly welcomed by Nymeria, "I see you had a guest last night."

Gendry snorted, "Aye. She decided to take over my bed."

Jon laughed and then sat down on the small stool. "Well I wanted to speak to you yesterday, but the day got away from us all." He paused and Gendry wondered what on earth he would want to talk about. "I-I just wanted to apologize for what I said to you the other day. You are free to do whatever you want, as is Arya."

Gendry shifted his stance, feeling uncomfortable, "No apology necessary m'lord."

Jon smiled, "Alright then. I'll leave to your work as I'm sure you have lots to do before you leave tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

Jon raised his brow, "Did Arya not tell you?" Gendry shook his head. "Oh, well you leave at first light towards Winterfell. Aegon and I are leaving later today with the dragons to go meet the wildlings in the north. You and the brotherhood will head north toward Winterfell, but stay east. I wish I could go with Arya as well, but the wildlings don't seem to trust Aegon."

Gendry nodded, "Well I guess I'll see you after the battle."

Jon smiled and nodded, "Take care of my sister for me."

Gendry scoffed, "Don't believe she needs lookin' after."

"You're right about that." Jon said as he walked out the door.

* * *

After working in the forge all morning, Gendry decided it was time to break his fast, and he headed towards the main castle. The halls were bustling with men preparing for the long journey north. Gendry spotted Thoros near the entrance and made his way over. "Gendry! Holed up in the forge now were ya?"

"Aye."

Thoros patted him on the shoulder, "Look lad, the little lady doesn't seem to happy at the moment. I would suggest making it right with her before we leave."

Gendry scrunched up his forehead, "I didn't do nothing. S'Ned you should be talking to, not me."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that."

Gendry sighed and nodded. He then moved around Thoros and entered the dining hall. He found a seat on the bench with the brotherhood and began eating. He could feel Arya's glares in the back of his head. Just as he was finishing his food, Greenbeard nudged him, and he turned to see Arya walking by. Gendry turned and rose from his seat to follow her out. "M'lady" he called, but she did not acknowledge it. He scowled and called her by her name, "Arya."

She halted and turned to glare at him, "What is it Ser Gendry?"

He sighed at her formality, "I'm sorry, alright?"

She put her hands on her hips and he rolled his eyes before continuing, "I don't want you to go to Starfall. I-I just want you to be happy."

Arya scowled, "And you think I'd be happy with Ned Dayne?"

Gendry looked to the floor and scratched the back of his head, "I-well, you two are well suited, and he seems to like you."

Arya scoffed and turned to leave. Gendry reached out and grabbed her arm. This seemed to catch the attention of some kitchen maids walking by. Gendry quickly dropped Arya's arm and looked to the floor, ashamed.

Arya sighed, "Come on then. Let us go prepare to leave."

* * *

After all the preparations were made, and plans were finalized, Gendry couldn't help but notice that Arya still seemed irritated. From other people's whispers, people seemed to think that Ara's irritated mood stemmed from Jon leaving. But Gendry knew that wasn't it. So Gendry locked himself away in the forge and finished working on something for her.

He had never given back the dagger she let him borrow, and she hadn't asked for it. Instead, Gendry had been working on replacing the handle with one more suited to Arya's taste. He finished with the dagger just before dinner. With the dagger in his pocket, Gendry passed the dining hall to ensure Arya was there. Once her presence was verified, Gendry quietly made his way to her chambers. He wasn't quite sure which one was hers, until he saw Nymeria perched outside of a door. He smiled at her and gently stroked her head. Nymeria then stood and moved out of the doorway, allowing Gendry to enter. He quickly placed the cloth-wrapped dagger on the bed and left, bidding Nymeria goodbye.

Gendry then made his way down to the dining hall and joined the brotherhood's table. The men were all laughing and singing by the end. But Gendry wasn't laughing. Tomorrow would be another hard day of travel for them all. And the next day would be the battle. Gendry wasn't laughing at all.

* * *

When it had gotten dark outside, Gendry finally relented and stopped working. He had finished repairing everyone's gear, and hoped that it would last them until they reached Winterfell. Sweating, Gendry put out the fire and then went to the main castle to take one last bath before leaving in the early morning. He sighed as he let the warm water surround him, and quickly got to work on scrubbing the grime from his body. When he finished, he grabbed a clean pair of clothes, wrapped his cloak around his shoulders and then made his way back to the forge to sleep. He didn't think he would be getting much sleep though, with thoughts of the upcoming battle looming in his mind.

When he entered the forge, Gendry saw that the candle was already alight. Arya was there, sitting by the candle, face aglow. She looked stunning, with remnants of the falling snow placed upon her long, dark hair, and a small smile playing at the corner of her mouth as her gaze met his.

"Arya" he said softly.

She rolled her eyes and let out a playful laugh, "I came to thank you for this" she held up her dagger with the newly made handle containing a direwolf's head, similar o the Stark sigil.

"No thanks necessary."

Arya simply nodded, "It really is beautiful Gendry."

He shrugged, not knowing what to say, their argument from last night forgotten. After a moment's silence he asked, "Are you ready for the battle?"

She scoffed, "I'm always ready for battle."

He smiled, "And of course you'll get to see Winterfell again."

Her smiled dampened, "It won't really be the same though. All burned down, with Jon being my only family still there."

Gendry nodded in understanding, not sure what to say, or if he should offer comfort. Instead he just stood there in silence. After what seemed a while, Arya let out a sigh, "Can I sleep here tonight?"

Gendry let out a laugh, "You'd give up your last night in a featherbed, for sleeping on a tiny cot?"

Arya bit her lip, "I sleep better here."

Gendry looked into her grey eyes and sighed, "Of course you can."

With that, Arya quickly maneuvered her way onto the cot, and Gendry carefully got in beside her, keeping his tunic and breeches on. They settled into the cot and Gendry smiled at the warmth of having her there. After a while Arya turned to face him and asked, "Gendry, are you afraid of dying?"

Gendry pondered this for a moment before responding, "Aye. I suppose so. Aren't you?"

"No." She said, no emotion in her voice. "Death almost seems quite peaceful compared to all this" she paused, looking up at him, "Do you remember Harrenhal?"

"Of course."

She looked down to her hands, folded together towards her chest. "There was so much death everywhere, that most times I thought it might be best if I had died. Slit my throat and be gone on my own terms."

He shifted and looked at her, scared that she would be speaking this way. He moved his hand to raise her chin, forcing her to share his gaze. "Don't die Arya."

Her eyelashes fluttered closed for a moment before she shifted, setting her head down on his chest. "I have no intention of dying yet Gendry."

He leaned down before his brain could protest and placed a light kiss on the top of her head, "Good." And with that, they fell into sleep.

* * *

The next day seemed to drag on as the Brotherhood trudged slowly through the deep snow. Most had horses, however, the horses moved just as slowly as the men did. Gendry and Arya were lucky though, as Arya rode Nymeria, and Gendry rode the beta male. As a joke, Tom had attempted to approach one of the wolves for a ride, but they all had turned and growled at him. No one else had tried.

When the morning began, all of the men had left together, but as they got closer to their destination, the Tully's and the Knight's of the Vale followed the Kingsroad leading to Winterfell, while the Brotherhood and the wolf pack stayed due east, towards the Dreadfort.

When they got close enough to the east side of Winterfell, the sun was setting on the short winter day. The men were exhausted from the long journey through the snow, and even the wolf pack seemed to need rest. They set up a few tents, and Gendry and Thoros were on first watch. Gendry sat near Thoros, perched outside of a large tent with Arya and Nymeria sleeping in one corner, and a few members of the Brotherhood in the other corner. Gendry couldn't help but watch Arya sleep. She seemed restless tonight, shifting from side to side.

Thoros drew his attention away from her, "Ya shouldn't be sittin' here daydreamin' of a princess."

Gendry scrunched up his forehead, "I wasn't."

Thoros let out a laugh, "Aye, and I'm fucking the dragon queen."

Gendry scoffed, "I'm just worried about her is all."

Thoros nodded, "Aye. I am too. When I see her in the fires she is surrounded by darkness."

Gendry shook his head, not believing in Thoros and his stupid red god, "Just wish she'd tell us where she has been all this time."

Thoros offered him a small smile, "Some things are best not knowing." Gendry scowled and Thoros retreated, "I'm sure she'll tell you in time." Gendry simply nodded.

They sat there in silence for a time, feeling the soft snow fall above them. Gendry pondered the days to come. He himself was anxious to see Bolton dead, but it worried him that Arya would likely be the one to kill him. He was not worried of her fighting, as she was easily the best fighter here; what worried him was her expression when she is fighting, like she is lost to the world.

Gendry was drawn from his thoughts when Tom approached and nudged him in the shoulder, "Time to rest now lad, I'll take over from here." Gendry nodded and wandered into the tent, collapsing onto one of the blankets. He was asleep in an instant.

The next morning, Gendry was woken up by Nymeria's whining. He smiled when he opened his eyes to see her large form above him. He started getting up when Tom yelled, "Alright you sorry lot! Time to move!" Gendry stood and looked around at the Brotherhood bustling around him. He quickly grabbed his things, secured his cloak and exited the tent. In the distance he saw Arya perched against a tree. She looked beautiful with her dark hair standing out among the white snow banks. Gendry made his way toward her, holding some food in his hands.

He smiled as he approached, and she quickly came forward to take the food from his hands. He laughed as she devoured her food. When they finished eating, he turned serious, thinking of all the things he wanted to say. If Bolton and his men decided to abandon Winterfell, they could be heading this direction any moment. Bolton's men would vastly outnumber theirs, even with the wolf pack, and Gendry feared for their lives, or rather, Arya's life. And, he was pretty sure that he loved her. It was ridiculous really, a baseborn bastard loving a princess. But she wasn't really a princess, she was so much more. She was the bravest, strongest, most beautiful person he had ever known, and it scared him how much he cared for her. Scared him because he wasn't sure what he would do about it.

"Arya, I-"

She seemed to read his mind, "Don't Gendry. Don't be stupid."

He looked to the ground, embarrassed, but was then pleasantly surprised when he felt Arya's warm breath on his cheek. He looked towards her, but her eyes closed as she gently pressed her lips against his cheek. Gendry sucked in a breath, shocked by her gentleness. Arya leaned back and let out a laugh as his bewildered expression. She then turned and walked away from him, towards the camp, while Gendry remained there. He only moved when he heard Arya shout, "Gather around men!"

Gendry quickly made his way over to the crowd of men, and listened as Arya continued her speech, "It's time to head out! The majority of the battle will take place in the north and south walls, but if the bastard runs east, we will be ready for him!" The men cheered. "Give them hell, but make sure you don't get in the wolves' way, they won't thank you for that!" Laughter erupted from the men. Arya let out a laugh as well. Her gaze then met Gendry's, and she sent him a mischievous smile. He crossed his arms and beamed back at her. She raised her newly bladed direwolf dagger above her head and shouted, "For Winterfell!"

"FOR WINTERFELL!"

* * *

 ** _A/N: Please don't hate me for ending it here! I wanted to do the battle, but then the chapter would have been so long! So I will pick up from here in the next chapter, which will be either from Arya's or Gendry's perspective, and it will contain the whole battle! It may take me some time to write it and get it all together, so please be patient with me! Also, I hope this chapter didn't come off too choppy. I had to rewrite parts of it, and I'm still not that happy with it, but I wanted to get it posted! Anyways, thanks for reading!_**


	39. Chapter 39: The Wolf and the Flayed Man

**_A/N: Here it is! The battle! Sorry for the delay, but I have discovered that 1) I am very good at procrastinating and 2) I suck at writing battle scenes. Anyways, thank you so much for reading! Please review and let me know what you think! Also, please read notes at the end :)_**

* * *

In the distance, Arya could hear the battle drums, beside her she could hear the wolves growling, anxious for a feast. Arya stroked Nymeria's back, she was anxious as well. Arya hoped that some of Bolton's men would try to escape this way, even just to satisfy the wolves.

After what seemed like forever, Arya turned to hear Tom yell, "They're coming this way!"

Arya looked to where he was pointing, and sure enough, Arya could see what looked to be at least a hundred men making a run for it through the snow from the East gate, which was now closed again. Arya quickly hopped onto Nymeria's back, held Needle over her head and yelled, "For Winterfell!"

The men cheered behind her, but their cheers were lost behind her as Nymeria took off towards the men, the rest of the wolf pack following behind her. When Arya got close enough, she hopped off of Nymeria, and rolled onto the ground. She quickly stood, assuming her water dance stance. When the Bolten men spotted her, they drew their swords and ran towards her. Arya felt herself smile. She ran forward, all thoughts leaving her, her mind becoming blank as she quickly began fighting.

Four men were approaching her, swords held out in front of them. Arya had to smile when the laughter left their faces as Nymeria jumped and knocked over two men, quickly beginning a feast. Arya rose her brow at the other two men with the flayed man stitched across their chests, daring them to come closer. The large men moved surprisingly fast through the snow, quickly beginning their attack. The taller man went to strike her head on, while the other made a sweep at her side. Arya quickly ducked and spun with Needle out, slicing through the shorter man's leg. The man barely even winced though as Arya's sword was met with his, the tall man seeming to have disappeared. Arya continued fighting, deflecting every blow, but her fingers were quickly becoming ice cold in the bitter winter winds. When she turned on her heel to swing her sword behind the man, she noticed that the tall man was now fighting an exhausted looking Ned. Arya was deflected by the man so she instead kicked him near where she had cut him, and he quickly fell into the snow.

Arya was about to finish him off when she heard a whizzing past her ear. She turned and followed the arrow with her eyes. It was heading towards Ned Dayne. She was about to scream out and warn him, when she felt movement behind her. She whirled around to find the fallen man with a dagger in his hands, thrusting it towards her throat. Arya quickly shifted Needle into her right hand, and with her left, she reached up and forced the dagger down, slicing her hand deeply. She then thrust Needle into the center of the man's throat, and he was dead in an instant. "Valar morghulis".

Arya wiped Needle off on the man's fur cloak and then ripped off some of his tunic to cover her hand. She felt no pain, but she wanted to stop the bleeding. After, she looked around and noticed that a full fledged battle had broken out across the flat plains of snow. It seemed that most of Bolton's men had tried to escape this way and Arya couldn't help but wonder if they were purposely targeting her and her wolves.

Arya shook her head, clearing her mind of useless thoughts. They were of no use to no one. The next few moments could've been hours for all Arya knew. She was fighting man after man, and working hard to steer clear of the constant whizzing of an arrow flying past her head. She fought with all she had, never looking at faces; only seeing the flayed man on their chests. With each kill, she and her wolf moved closer and closer towards the East wall.

When she finally got to the wall she quickly began climbing. It was an easy enough climb, one that she had done several times with Bran when they were younger. But Arya wasn't thinking this, wasn't reminiscing of a time with her brother. For she did not know why the climb seemed so familiar, nor did she recognize the voices calling out to her, telling her to look out, to wait for the ladders. But Arya merely shook her head. She did not need to look out or wait for a ladder to appear. Her senses were heightened and she had no trouble hearing the whizzing of the arrows, had no trouble deflecting them.

When she finally got high enough, she scanned the surrounding towers, looking for the shooter that seemed to be taking down quite a number of wolves. She finally spotted him in a tower about 40 meters away. She reached down to grab her dagger and readjusted her position against the stone wall to better her aim. She used her right arm to stay perched on the wall, and with her injured hand, she moved to aim her dagger.

It was then that she heard someone from below shouting "Arya". She looked down, confused at the sight of the large man yelling at her, hammer in hand. Shaking her head at him, she turned her gaze back to the man shooting the arrows. He seemed to have spotted her and he seemed interested in targeting her and Nymeria. He smiled wide, an evil grin and then grabbed another arrow from behind him. Not wanting to wait any longer, she threw her dagger at him with all the strength she could muster. The man simply laughed. He pulled the man standing next to him in front of him, allowing him to take in the blow of the dagger. Sacrificing his own man seemed to have made his smile bigger. He pushed the dead man aside and aimed his arrow toward her. She drew out her sword, ready to deflect it. Hoping that she wouldn't fall. If the arrow did hit her though, it would be her own fault. She had misjudged his intelligence. With her sword out in front of her, she breathed deeply, ready for what was to come.

At the last moment though, the man changed the arrows aim, pointing it directly at the man below, who was still yelling at her. She wanted to yell out and warn him, but found her voice gone. The arrow hit him in the chest. The man fell to his knees and then lay down on his back. His helm rolled off of his head, and she gasped at the sight of the dark black hair, so familiar to her. She did not feel sad however, only anger greeted her then. A level of anger that she herself did not recognize.

Wasting no time, she quickly climbed to the very top of the wall and jumped over to the other side. With her sword in one hand and another dagger in the other, she tore her way through the men with ferocity. Slicing and killing man after man as fast as she could, trying to make her way to the man who had shot the arrow.

* * *

 _Nymeria was not sure what to do. She had howled and howled for her human to come back to her. But she would not listen. She ignored her howls, and the howls of their blue-eyed friend and climbed the wall. Nymeria paced at the bottom and whined. She could not protect her up there._

 _Nymeria glanced around taking in the sight of the battle, some of her pack had fallen. The survivors were staying together, stalking the remaining men in a pack. 'The pack survives'. She could smell blood all around her, could taste it on her tongue, which only made her feel hungry for more._

 _She remained at the bottom of the wall, ready to protect her master, as did their blue-eyed companion. He seemed to be acting a little crazy, a feeling that made Nymeria anxious. She growled at him to calm down and he stared at her and scratched his head. He did not look hurt, thankfully. But he did look cold. Nymeria couldn't help but feel sympathy for her poor, hairless human companion._

 _A few men approached them then, but Nymeria jumped at them taking one out easily and then reaching to her side to bite the other one. The man's flesh ripped between her teeth and she started to feast. It wasn't until she heard the blue-eyed companion yell 'Arya' that her attention was drawn back towards the wall. Nymeria turned her head and could only watch as an arrow came billowing through the winter winds. Not towards her master, but towards her blue-eyed friend. Nymeria sprung into action and jumped at him, in attempts to move him out of harms way, but she was not fast enough._

 _The arrow struck him through the chest and he fell into the snow, with Nymeria landing on top of him. All of the sudden Nymeria was filled with a great anger, and thirst for blood. She could not comprehend it, but she felt it was her master's doing. Nymeria stood tall over her human and howled for the wolves to return to her. What was left of the pack arrived in an instant, and Nymeria gave a low growl to the beta, warning him to guard the blue-eyed injured man. The beta complied, and Nymeria howled for most of the others to follow her._

 _She took off running through the snow, her pack behind her and they quickly began ravaging through what remained of the enemy. They were easy to find with red 'x's' on their chests. Even their mutts had joined the fight, but their lowly dogs were no match for the wolf pack._

 _Within minutes it seemed that the pack had taken down what remained of the enemy. There were a few stragglers that the men fighting alongside the pack were attending to when Nymeria heard a loud squeal from the sky. She turned her gaze and a dragon heading towards them, breathing out a warning fire. Nymeria howled to her pack and they moved from the battle area, back towards the woods, while Nymeria quickly made her way back to her beta and her injured companion._

* * *

She heard the squealing sounds above her, but she did not register them. She did not register anything, as she tore her way through the men. She did not hear people shouting at her to stop. All she cared about was reaching her target. When she finally did, she looked up at him, and found that the man was already being held by two men with fish across their chests. She was irritated, this man was hers to kill.

She snarled at the evil man's smile and then not so gently shoved the two fish men out of the way. One fell, easily weighed down by his armour, while the other merely stumbled. The evil man just laughed, and she jumped on him tackling him to the ground. She had dropped her dagger, and with everything she had, she began punching the laugh right off of his face, and he didn't even fight back. She didn't care that her injured left hand was screaming at her to stop. She didn't care that people were yelling at her, trying to pull her off. All she cared about was that this man was somehow still laughing.

She hit him again with everything she had, and he finally stopped laughing. She leaned back, giving herself a rest, looked the man over, blood smeared all over his face, and she herself began laughing. The men around her looked at her as if she were insane. Hands surrounded her then and she allowed herself to be lifted up. The man who had grabbed her turned her around to face him and she could see the worry etched on his face. He had long, black curly hair and grey eyes.

The laughter died in her throat. She was confused. She looked around, taking in her surroundings, wondering what had happened. Finally, she looked back at the man, and felt herself begin shaking, "Jon?"

He sighed with relief and reached forward to embrace her. "Thank the gods" he whispered into her hair. She did not return his embrace though, couldn't bring herself to lift her shaking arms. Jon must've felt this, because he leaned back and stared at her, "Are you alright?"

Arya pushed him back, and began looking frantically around her. "What happened Jon? Where's Nymeria? Where's – "

A howling interrupted her and Arya quickly moved to the edge of the tower, looking out below. Among the snow she could see members of the Brotherhood, injured, some even looked dead. She could see a few wolves lying in the snow, blood surrounding them. But at the base of the wall she was atop of, she saw Nymeria. She looked unhurt, but she was hovering over someone. Nymeria looked up at her and whined.

When Nymeria had lifted her head, Arya saw Gendry lying on the snow beneath her with an arrow coming out of his chest. In an instant, Arya climbed over the wall, and began making her way down it. Jon called out for her, but she ignored him. She jumped the remaining five feet and landed in the snow. She quickly ran over to Gendry and ripped off her fur cloak, draping it over him. He was out cold and Arya feared that he wouldn't wake up. Nymeria continued whining and lay at his feet.

Arya reached her hand out to his chest, and gently placed it there, praying there was still life within him. After a few moments, time seemed to stop. Gendry's chest did not rise and all Arya felt was anger and betrayal. "No!" she yelled out, punching her hurting hands deep into the snow "You promised you wouldn't leave me!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "No!" she felt hands grip her waist and pull her away as a maester moved to crouch beside Gendry. Arya kicked and screamed like a child, "No!"

It was Harwin who held her, and he tightened his grip, "Stop my Lady. This won't help him."

That only made her scream louder. The maester looked at her then, "You need to calm her down" he threw Harwin a bottle, "Give her milk of the poppy."

Arya tried to free herself from Harwin's grasp, but it was no use, with Thoros helping to hold her in place. "No, don't!" she yelled.

Thoros gave her a sad, exasperated look, "It's for the best little lady."

With both arms pinned to her sides, Arya growled at the men tilted her head back and forced her mouth open. She tried not to swallow, she really did. But she was distracted by her watering eyes, something that rarely ever happened anymore. She thought she had used all her tears when she lost her father. Finally feeling sadness overwhelm her anger, Arya let herself be taken away by the darkness.

* * *

Arya wasn't sure how much time had passed when she woke up. But apparently, it had been enough time to get her settled into a bed. Arya sat up and opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings. She was wearing a long tunic over her small clothes, and her legs were covered by thick fur blankets. Her hand had been wrapped properly and when Arya tried to move it, she felt stitches beneath. She grimaced.

Using her other hand, she maneuvered her way out from under the covers and got out of the cot. She needed to find Gendry and make sure that he was still alive. She couldn't allow herself to think him dead. He had said he wouldn't leave her.

She opened the door and found Nymeria sitting outside. She came to attention and whined when Arya stroked her. Thankfully, her direwolf seemed unharmed. She leaned down and whispered, "Take me to Gendry."

Her wolf's yellow eyes flickered with understanding and Nymeria stood and began walking down the corridor. A few doors later, Nymeria came to an abrupt halt and pushed the door open with her head. Arya walked into the room and quickly rushed to the small cot containing Gendry. He looked so pale, and almost small lying beneath the furs. Arya wanted to reach out and touch him, but resisted with the fear that he might be stone cold. Instead she just stood over him, watching him. He looked almost at peace. And Arya, well she missed the stupid bull. He was right there in front of her, but she missed him all the same.

She was drawn from her thoughts when a voice came from the door, "He should come around. Just needs ample rest now."

Arya turned and looked over the maester. Arya thought he seemed much to young to be a maester. And he was a very large, sheepish looking man. Not how you would picture a maester. He almost seemed familiar though. "Are you the maester?"

He smiled and looked to the floor, "Aye."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "If he dies" she pointed at Gendry, "You die."

He looked at her with a terrified expression on his face, "Yes, Lady Arya."

"How do you know my name?"

He smiled, "Jon speaks of you often."

When he referred to Jon in such laid back, friendly terms, that's when Arya realized who he was, "And you're Sam right?" She remembers meeting him across the Narrow Seas all those years ago, when she went by 'Cat'.

His cheeks reddened, "Aye. I suppose Jon speaks of me too."

Arya nodded, knowing that there was no way he could know that 'Cat' had been her, as she had been wearing a different face.

Turning her attention back to Gendry she asked, "What did you have to do?"

Sam came to stand beside her, "Well I removed the arrow and cleaned the wound the best I could before stitching it up. It doesn't seem to have hit any organs, which means most of his symptoms are from blood loss. Nothing some rest and fluids shouldn't help. We've given him some milk of the poppy for now. He should wake by tomorrow."

"Thank you."

"No thanks necessary my Lady. He looked a lot worse than he actually was. I remember when your brother came to me with three arrows in him" he laughed, "Now that was a challenge."

She smiled, but did not laugh, as it didn't feel right. Sam must've sensed her hesitation and turned to leave, "I'll leave you, my lady, and I'll let Jon know you're awake and well."

She nodded. Sam then left and closed the door behind him. Very carefully, Arya lifted the furs and saw that Gendry was bare from the waist up, with a large bandage over the right side of his chest. She sighed, "You stupid bull."

Arya moved to his left side, and carefully got climbed into the cot, careful not to touch Gendry, as she didn't want to injure him any further. She pulled the furs back over them and laid her head down, simply staring at the sleeping man beside her.

When Arya had first imagined herself back at Winterfell, she had never pictured Gendry there. She pictured reuniting with her family, all smiles and warm embraces, and then working together to rebuild the castle, to rebuild their name. Not quite the same, but not completely different either. But now, now she could not imagine it any other way. Having, and wanting Gendry with her confused her, but then she realized that he was her family too.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Gah! There you have it! Who doesn't love Sam? I love his bromance with Jon! And I don't think I need to tell you who the smiling, evil man was, right? I mean…..you know ;)_**

 ** _As you can probably tell with this chapter, I did not leave it on a cliffhanger, and that is because I am going on vacation for a few weeks, and am not bringing my computer with me, so it'll probably be about a month before I update again. Sorry in advance! If you are just dying to know what happens, review and I will DM you with answers that doesn't give too much away!_**

 ** _Thank you so much for reading! Next chapter will be from Jon's or Gendry's perspective._**


	40. Chapter 40: Gendry

**_A/N: Ugh, I'm so sorry for taking so long! One month away turned into almost two months, and for that I apologize. Writer's block is not my friend, but a constant visitor! Hope you enjoy this chapter! It is a little on the short side, but I felt that I had said all I needed to. Please please please comment! No comments on the last chapter made me sad!_**

* * *

Gendry was aware of his surroundings, but could not quite find the strength to open his eyes. Instead he just listened. Listened as the maester moved about the room, humming a tune under his breath, and listened to Arya berate the poor man. If he could, there would've been a grin on Gendry's face.

Not only did he listen, but he also felt. Felt the maester change his dressings, and then felt Arya cautiously touch him and then come to lay beside him. Although he could not see her, there was no doubting it was her. He thought that he could probably feel her presence from a mile away. And when she called him a stupid bull, he wanted nothing more than to say 'm'lady', but he found he couldn't. Whatever they had given him had made him numb; not quite asleep, but not fully awake either. Gendry wondered if he was perhaps just imagining the whole thing.

Blissfully unaware of reality, Gendry let himself be guided back into a heavy slumber, where his dreams comprised of vastly inappropriate images of Arya. Images that no bastard should allow himself to think.

* * *

Gendry had no idea how much time had passed, but as the numbness began to dull, he forced his eyes open. He scanned around the room to find it mostly empty. And for the first time, Gendry realized that he must be in Winterfell. The battle long over. Despite being happy at their apparent victory, Gendry had not imagined this as his first visit to Winterfell. He remembered Arya always going on about the Godswood, and he felt anxious to see it.

Gendry attempted to stretch and raise himself up to sit, but found it difficult, a heavy weight bearing on his chest. He sighed in frustration, which only made him wince at the pain in his chest. He heard the door to his room open and looked to see Arya entering. She looked as though she had very little sleep, and she had cloth wrapped around her hand. When their gazes met, he was surprised to find her angry.

"Took you long enough to wake, stupid" she huffed.

Gendry shook his head at her, trying to gather the strength to speak. "Not really my choice, m'lady."

Arya glared at him and then abruptly turned to leave. "Arya wait! Are you upset with me?"

She turned back to him and her glare intensified, "If you hadn't distracted me, I would've killed him, and none of this would've happened!"

"You were climbing a 50 foot wall with no rope or ladder! I was worried about you!"

"I knew what I was doing" Arya spat.

Gendry raised his brow, "Did you? Because when you looked down, you looked as if you didn't even recognize me or Nymeria."

Arya went quiet for a moment, and it made Gendry worry that he had said something wrong. Finally, Arya's gazed flitted back over to meet his as she merely whispered, "I didn't."

Gendry sucked in a short breath, "You – you what?"

"I said I did not recognize you. To be honest, I can barely remember the battle" she paused, "I-I was in a different state of mind."

Gendry felt concern fill him then as he caught a glimpse of the very rare, but ever present vulnerable Arya. Gendry decided to take advantage of the situation to ask her a question. One that he thought he might finally get an answer to. "Arya, where have you been all this time?"

She glared at him for a moment, and then her eyes glazed over, emotion seeming to leave her. "I was in Braavos, training to become a faceless man."

Gendry had figured as much seeing as the first time he saw her in over five years, she had worn a different face. Although he didn't quite know what being a faceless man meant, so he remained quiet, hoping she would continue.

"I was trained to forget myself. There was no place for Arya Stark in the House of Black and White." She sighed. "They taught me to fight. Taught me how to listen and observe. They took away my sight for a time, allowing me to better enhance my other senses. For a time I was Cat of the Canals, and then Beth the blind girl, and then Mercy, and so many names and faces after that. In truth, I was no one at all. Only there to serve the many-faced god. And I did. I served him up many new faces, and did whatever was needed to proclaim those faces for him."

He looked at her and couldn't help but feel sad. Sad that Arya thought she needed to be anyone but herself. Sad that she allowed herself to be forgotten. And sad at all the things he imagined they had made a girl of three and ten do.

"And then one day I remembered. I had found Needle, as well as your helm. I observed Westerosi men long enough to hear talk of Jon, and then Sansa, and I realised that it was time to return to Westeros. So I left."

Gendry nodded, "Why did you not tell me this before?"

Arya looked away from him, and down towards her hands. "I've killed a lot of people Gendry. Men, women, even children. I mean most times the children were ill and it was really just out of mercy, but I never felt any kind of remorse for what I did, and I still don't."

Gendry shook his head at her. She thought that he would be upset, or misunderstand, but truthfully it didn't bother him in the least. Arya had done what she thought was right in order to survive. Only a young girl, who thought she had no family left.

"In times of war, we all do what we need to for survival."

Arya nodded in agreement. Still looking at her hands, she quietly said, "Do you think less of me?"

He was about to answer when the door was pushed open once again and a large man walked in with a few chains hanging from his robes; the maester. He smiled at them, "Ser Gendry, glad to see you up and well, and Lady Arya, Jon has been looking for you."

Arya rolled her eyes, "I do not wish to see him, Sam."

Gendry rose his brow at her, but she just flicked her hand, telling him to leave it. Turned out Gendry wasn't left in wonder for long as Jon entered the room moments later.

"Arya, there you are" he turned to the maester, "Thank you Sam." The maester smiled sheepishly and then left the room. "Arya, why have you been ignoring me?"

Arya rolled her eyes, "I've done nothing of the sort."

Jon narrowed his eyes, "Look, I'm sorry, but I passed the sentence, I should swing the sword."

"What sentence?" Gendry piped in.

Jon moved his glance over to Gendry laying in the cot. He must've not realised that Gendry was awake. "Gendry, I'm sorry I did not realise you were awake."

Gendry was about to accept the apology when Arya spoke over him, "My dear Jon here will not let me kill Ramsay Bolton."

Jon sighed, annoyed, "He's going to die, isn't that enough?"

Arya turned away stubbornly, "No." And with that she left the room.

Jon was left staring after her, and Gendry couldn't help but feel awkward, as if he was intruding. Finally, Jon seemed to remember Gendry's presence and turned to him, "She's always been hungry for a fight, but I've never known her to be so hungry for death."

Gendry gave him a sheepish glance, "She will kill him." Jon nodded, and Gendry felt the need to continue, "And she will probably want to kill all the lords that fought for him."

"Aye. But I cannot let her do that."

Gendry didn't know how to respond, so he didn't. Eventually Jon spoke again, "She listens to you, perhaps you could make her see sense?"

Gendry let out a laugh, and then winced from the pain, "She tolerates me, I would not say she listens to me."

Jon shook his head, "She cares for you. She will listen."

* * *

Gendry slept for a while after his brief visit from Arya and Jon, but is awakened by the feel of a very large paw, scratching at his leg. He opened his eyes, and they were met with Nymerias. When Nymeria realized she had his attention, she put her teeth around his pant leg and began pulling his leg over the side of the cot. Gendry scrambled up out of the cot, clutching at the tight feeling in his chest, and reluctantly began following Nymeria out of the room. His head was spinning, forcing him to grab the stone walls for balance. Nymeria wondered ahead, and then strode down the stairs. Once down the long staircase, Gendry followed Nymeria to the end of the dark hall. Prison cells lined each side, and Gendry grabbed onto the bars to steady himself.

Gendry stopped, catching his breath, and then looked ahead to see why Nymeria had led him here. On the ground in front of him, were two guards wearing the direwolf sigil across their chest. Gendry then scanned ahead and saw a silhouette of a small figure who was opening one of the cells with the guard's key. "Did you kill the guards?" he asked.

Arya didn't seem startled by his appearance, and didn't even look his way as she said, "No. Hit a man in the right spot and they fall unconscious." She turned the key in the lock and pulled the gate open. She turned to him before entering, "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Nymeria woke me." Arya muttered a response, but Gendry could not make out what she said. As she entered the dark cell, Gendry moved closer to see who was inside. He blinked, eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. Chained at the wrists and feet, suspended in the middle of the cell was the man who had laughed during the battle, the man who had shot Gendry in the chest. Anger filled him as he noticed the man still wore a smile on his sadistic face.

He hardly recognized his own voice as he spoke, "So this is Ramsay Bolton?"

Nymeria snarled in response, pacing in front of the chained man. "Aye" Arya said, "Jon is set to execute him in the morning. One swift swing of Longclaw will take his head. Such a death seems far too merciful for the likes of him."

Gendry swallowed, "What will you do?"

Arya didn't answer, but instead reached up and removed the gag from the bastard's mouth. The bastard laughed, "Yes, what will you do to me wolf-bitch? Give me a nice slow death? I'm rather fond of torture." He spat. Arya said nothing just carefully removed her fur cloak and then leaned down to draw her dagger from her waist belt. The bastard continued, watching Arya hungrily, "Are you going to fuck me over as I did to your imposter?" he laughed, "I'd rather enjoy that. You're much prettier than her anyways."

Gendry tightly clutched his hands into fists, forcing himself to remain quiet. He failed though as he let out a snarl. The bastard looked to him then, as Arya still remained standing in front of him, dagger in hand. "Oh, I see your gallant knight is still alive. Pity, his death would've meant a great song."

"Yours will not." Arya spoke so softly, that Gendry questioned having heard her words. Arya reached forward and swiftly cut the bastard's tunic open, revealing his bare chest. "Your sigil is the flayed man, correct?" The bastard's smile faltered, and he did not respond. "A red 'X' that you usually wear across your chest." She paused, "Well I will have to make do."

Arya reached forward and ever so slowly dug the tip of her dagger in just below his left nipple. The man started to flinch and breathe heavily when Arya slowly sliced across his chest, forming a deep cut from nipple to hip. Blood quickly began spilling as Arya cut the same line from the right nipple to left hip. She then went back and retraced her lines, widening the cuts, exposing his flesh. Gendry could not bring himself to stop her. The man more than deserved this, but that didn't make Gendry feel any less uncomfortable.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the bastard screamed and his head fell forward in surrender, about to fall unconscious. Arya had other plans though as she smacked his head, waking him up. She sent him a slight smile as she wiped her dagger clean on his torn tunic. She stepped backwards, and without looking away from him she said, "Nymeria, feast."

Nymeria leaped forward with her jaw open wide and began her feast on the screaming bastard. Arya stepped away and moved towards Gendry, "I'm sorry Nymeria dragged you here." Gendry simply nodded, trying his best to ignore the screams behind him. "Does this make you think less of me?"

His eyes met hers, and he could see worry etched on her face. Gendry wasn't sure how to respond. This scared him. She scared him, but she had always scared him. And in that moment, he couldn't bring himself to think any less of her. She may be a trained killer, but she was also the wild and strong she-wolf he had come to love. He reached forward and grabbed the dagger still clutched in her grasp. He secured it back in her waist belt and then brought his hand to her cheek. She closed her eyes as he whispered, "No, it doesn't."

* * *

Arya had helped Gendry return to his cot, before bidding him goodnight, saying that she best be in her own chambers for when Jon would come looking for her in the morning. Gendry of course agreed, but couldn't help but feel her loss as he lay trying to sleep in his little cot, that all of the sudden seemed so big.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Feeling all the feelings!_** ** _Thank you so much for reading! The next chapter will be from Arya's perspective._**

 ** _Also, who has watched the most recent episode of S7? Lordy, I was fanigirling so hard!_**


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